Mary Wachter Smith, 92, of Elkton, daughter of the late William and Alberta Madigan, left this life quietly on Thursday, February 13, 2020. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death first by the love of her life, Kenneth A. Wachter, then her late-in-life husband, Ralph H. Smith. She also lost a daughter, Lori Ann Russo, to cancer.
Mary was born in Quincy, IL on February 26, 1927. She spent a memorable childhood there and graduated from Quincy High School in 1944.
She is survived by two daughters, Janet Kavanaugh (Bruce) of Elkton, VA, Barbara Rothe (Gary) of Springfield, NH, and a stepdaughter, Kathy Norris, of Sunrise Beach, MO. She also leaves four grandchildren, Keith, Todd, Kristin, and Lindsey, seven great-grandchildren, and four nephews.
Mary was the middle of three girls. She married Ken Wachter in 1948, and they lived in Champaign-Urbana while Ken attended college on the G.I. Bill. Their first home was a 20-foot trailer with no hot water or bathroom! She walked and took a bus to her first job as a bank teller, a job that suited her strength in math. This also set her up to be an excellent Bridge player, and she enjoyed many Rummicub games with her grandchildren.
Ken’s first job moved them to Elkhart, IN, where Mary enjoyed the trains that passed through their backyard. From there they moved to Joliet, IL, where they raised their three girls and Mary began her lifelong obsession with baseball, first as a Cubs fan and later as a Red Sox fan.
Mary was a charter member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Joliet, IL, and she was the last surviving charter member. Sixteen years later, Ken was transferred to Stamford, CT, where they became members of First Presbyterian of Stamford (“the fish church”). In Stamford, she took a job as a medical secretary and strongly supported her girls in their musical endeavors, as music had always been an important part of her life. In fact, as a child she would clean her aunt’s house for fifty cents and free piano lessons.
Retirement took them first to Stratford, CT and then to New London, NH, where they had a custom-built log home on Messer Pond. Mary and Ken were very active in the Red Cross and at First Baptist Church, where they played in the bell choir. She also volunteered at Colby Sawyer College and worked at a local decorating firm. Following Ken’s death, she reconnected with and married a longtime family friend, Ralph Smith, in 2006, and moved with him to Ely, MN, where she joined him in membership at Ely Presbyterian Church. Their residence on Jasper Lake allowed her to continue her passion for life on the water, where she enjoyed boating and her childhood love of fishing. Their remote location also served as a great place for her to observe and enjoy the Minnesota wildlife, and she would often feed hotdogs to the gray jays and leave food scraps for the pine marten.
When Alzheimer’s came into Ralph’s life, they moved to Wilmington, NC in order to be with Janet and Bruce for support. In Wilmington, Mary was welcomed to Winter Park Presbyterian Church, and she enjoyed the company of her friends at her independent living residence.
After Ralph’s death, Bruce retired, and Mary moved with them to a new home in Elkton, VA. Living up on a mountain, she enjoyed watching the birds, deer, and occasional bear. She was an avid jigsaw puzzler but would always let someone else put in the last piece, and she loved anything dark chocolate.
Mary’s life was governed by her devotion to her family, her strong faith, and the friendships she made in every community in which she lived.
We will never stop missing you, Mommy, Grandma, GG/Grandma Mary, and we will strive to continue to follow the example that you so gracefully set for us.
In keeping with her wishes, she was cremated, and the family will commemorate her life privately.
Memorial contributions may be made in her name to your local Hospice or EMS, two organizations that served her well in her last days.
Condolences may be shared at kygers.com.