Mary Virginia Anderson, age 91, born Mary Virginia Lewis passed away peacefully on September 13, 2024 after a short but brave battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family.
Mary was born on November 14, 1932 in Parsons, West Virginia, daughter of Martha Crossland Lewis and Nick Lewis. She graduated from Parsons High School in 1950 at the top of her class and earned the honor of valedictorian. She then went on to higher education at Davis and Elkins College on a full scholarship.
Mary worked for the Federal Government at the Department of Defense and retired in 1998.
Mary was a loving grandmother who spent quality time with her grandchildren throughout their lives and always went out of her way to make them each feel special. She never missed a birthday. She always sent a card and she always made a phone call. Mary was an excellent cook and her family looked forward to sharing meals together during holidays and treasure the recipes she shared with them. Mary also enjoyed keeping photo albums of each of her children and grandchildren. She took pride in caring for her yard, and kept a thriving vegetable garden. Mary was a loyal Washington Redskins fan and enjoyed other sports in the off-season as well. She was an active member of Bush Hill Presbyterian Church.
Mary will be fondly and lovingly remembered by her family and friends as an intelligent and hard worker who always put family above all else. The world has lost a special soul and she will be missed immensely. Surviving to cherish Mary’s memory are her five children: David (and his wife, Deborah), Roger, James (and his wife, Lynn), John (and his wife, Sue), and her beloved Mary Patricia; her ten grandchildren: Adam, Stephanie, Stephen, Kristina, Heather, Hannah, Nic, Matthew, Katie, and Michael; and two great-grandchildren: Nathan and Noah. Preceding Mary in death are Carl Anderson, father of her children, her parents Nick and Martha (Crossland) Lewis and her brother Richard Lewis and his wife Twila Lewis.
A private celebration of her life will be held on October 5, 2024 at her home where she lived for over 60 years.
In lieu of flowers, Mary’s family requests a donation be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/give.html.