Obituary of Mary Joan McVoy

Mary Joan McVoy died peacefully, surrounded with love, on Wednesday, June 23 at Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Olympia, WA. She was born September 7, 1929 in Upton on Severn, Worcester, England to Constance Emma and William Edward Haywood. She grew up on her parent’s farm in Worcester County. She attended boarding school, then graduated from domestic science school. After college she moved to London and in 1954 became a driver for the Royal Radar Station, driving scientists to and from laboratories. She then worked on a merchant navy ship that sailed to New Zealand and Bagdad, Iraq. In Bagdad in 1958 she met her future husband Edgar C. McVoy, an Amercan Economist. They were married in Forteleza, Brazil on June 13, 1959. They made their home and started their family in Bethesda, MD. Because of Edgar’s work for the U.S. government and international agencies they lived for extended periods in Ankara, Turkey; Djakarta, Indonesia; Brackley, England and Toyko, Japan. They then lived stateside in Rockville, MD; and Warrenton, Charlottesville, and Salem, VA. While caring for her family she worked as a real estate agent, volunteer and docent. Mary moved to Frederick, MD in 2005, then to Olympia, WA in 2008 with her son Edgar’s family.She lived a very fulfilling life of 80 years - always active, independent-minded, curious and finding new experiences to share; kind, generous, boundless in her love for her family and friends. Mary is survived and will be missed dearly by son Edgar and wife Dona of Olympia, son Chris and wife Beth O’Neill of New York City, sister Pamela Butt and niece Marcia Butt of Oxford, nephew Robert Butt of Hamburg, Germany, and grandchildren Justin, Kevin and Erin McVoy of Olympia. You may leave memories and condolences by clicking on "View Guestbook" below.