ELLINGTON, CONN. AND FRANKLIN
It is with great sadness that we wish to inform you of the passing of our mother
, Mary B. Tracy, on Sunday, Feb. 10. She was mercurial, marvelous, maddening and an incredible role model.
The daughter of Neil H. and Lenore (Clark) Bunker, Mary was raised in Bar Harbor, where she graduated second in her high school class. When she was 12 she toured the USS Missouri while it was anchored in Frenchman Bay and it was here she met her future husband, Allen. Dates at the roller rink and the beach followed and they were married in 1953 while he was serving in the U.S. Navy.
They both attended the University of Maine on the GI Bill, studying hard while raising three children. After she graduated with a degree in education the family moved to Connecticut when Allen took a job with SNETCO. Mary was the “chief cook and bottle washer” until all the children were in school. Then she began her 30-year career in the Tolland, Conn., school system. She was the librarian in Parker School and Hicks Memorial School and became the first media specialist at the newly built Tolland High School. After retirement, Mary and Allen spent many happy days in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at Donnell Pond in Franklin, at the casinos and following sports, especially the UConn ladies’ basketball team. She enjoyed the games so much that she and Allen endowed a scholarship for the team. Go Huskies!
Mary was predeceased by Allen in 2016. She is survived by her son Christopher of Ellington, Conn., whose compassionate care allowed her to stay in her beloved home of 59 years. She is also survived by her daughter Cheryl and her spouse, Jim Miller, of Bloomfield, Conn., and Venice, Fla., and her daughter Cathy and her spouse, Dianne Waters, of Hancock and Venice, Fla., as well as Allen’s sister Mary Lou Hodge and her husband, Chuck, of Ellsworth and their family.
Per Mary’s wishes, there are to be no calling hours and burial will be private. If you wish to honor her memory, please consider making a donation to the Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps, P.O. Box 99, Ellington, CT 06029, whose members worked tirelessly to try to save her life. Sadly for us but gladly for her, Mom is now reunited with Dad. We love you both and will be forever grateful for the path you showed us and the examples you set for us.