wife of John Ford dies in South Carolina
<br /><br />Tamara Mitchell-Ford, the ex-wife of former state senator John Ford, died in South Carolina, family members confirmed Wednesday.<br />
/Services/include.ashx?domain=www.commercialappeal.com&file=logo-ca-icon-192.png
By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal

Tamara Mitchell-Ford, the ex-wife of former state senator John Ford, died in South Carolina, family members confirmed Wednesday.

Ms. Mitchell-Ford, who had four children with John Ford during their tempestuous and volatile relationship, was 51. The cause of death wasn't immediately available, although her obituary indicates she died Tuesday in a hospital.

Ms. Mitchell-Ford's family members declined to comment further Wednesday; members of the Ford family also declined to comment.

"She was an outstanding lady," said County Commissioner Walter Bailey, who represented Ms. Mitchell-Ford in some of her legal problems. "She carried herself with professional demeanor. I thought a lot of her."

Added Leslie Ballin, another of her defense attorneys: "She was a strong-willed, very opinionated woman who was not afraid to show her feelings through words and actions."

Ms. Mitchell-Ford was a 26-year-old law student when she married John Ford in 1991. Over the next two decades, the pair had a tempestuous relationship that included fights, charges, countercharges, missing child-support payments and numerous other woes that formed one of Memphis' longest-running soap operas.

In 2001, Ms. Mitchell-Ford was arrested after she rammed her car into the Collierville home where her husband's girlfriend was living. The pair eventually divorced in 2002, although their stormy relationship continued after that.

Ms. Mitchell-Ford also served time after being convicted of at least four DUIs. Following her release from jail in 2009 after serving 18 months, she moved back to her hometown of Greenville, South Carolina.

In an interview with The Commercial Appeal in 2006, Ms. Mitchell-Ford blamed her ex-husband for her alcohol problems.

"I never had a drinking problem until I tried to leave John Ford," she said.

Bailey hoped she was able to put her woes behind her when she left Memphis.

"She was always capable of rebounding and coping with any challenge," he said.