A graveside service for Mary Boots O’Connell (née Barnard), age 78, who died peacefully at her home on March 2, 2022 with her loving husband, John R. O’Connell, by her side, will be held Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 1 p.m., at the Sea View Cemetery, Chestnut Street in Rockport. A reception for friends will follow.

To share a memory or condolence with Mary’s family, please visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.

CAMDEN — Mary Boots O’Connell (née Barnard), age 78, died peacefully at her home on March 2, 2022 with her loving husband, John R. O’Connell, by her side.

Mary was born to Winthrop and Marie Barnard and was raised in Bronxville, New York. She graduated from Bronxville High School in 1961. Mary’s high school class remained close to her heart, as she attended many reunions and curated a class contact list with online photos.

Mary’s love for the state of Maine began as a child while visiting her grandfather in Cape Elizabeth. Following her high school graduation, her parents retired to Camden, where Mary enjoyed college summer breaks while
working at the Whitehall Inn.

Mary graduated from Wheelock College in Boston in 1965 and then became a teacher in Needham, Massachusetts. She went on to receive her master’s degree from Columbia University in 1968. It is during her time at Columbia that she met her future husband, John. Following graduate school, Mary taught in Harlem, New York.

Mary later became a stay at home mom and lovingly raised her daughters in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Mary pursued varied interests during this time. She took the first computer courses ever offered at West Chester University. She also began to take a great interest in genealogy. Mary approached the Main Line School’s Adult Education organization and asked to include a course in genealogy, a course that she would go on to teach and that would become so popular, it was overenrolled every semester. She even taught herself to do “magic” and performed at birthday parties and local schools.

As her daughters became older, Mary returned to teaching in the Great Valley School District in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Mary enjoyed teaching and appreciated hearing from her students as they grew older.

Mary and John retired to Camden in 2001. She especially loved the Maine summers, which more than made up for the cold winters. Retirement vacations included almost yearly visits to Europe and vacations with her daughters’ families throughout the United States. Even after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in the spring of 2019, planned trips to Germany and the Grand Canyon still took place.

Mary was known to keep busy with many different endeavors or what she called “projects,” throughout her life, with retirement being no different. There was sailing, quilting and crafting keepsakes for her children and grandchildren to name a few. She so enjoyed hearing a steel drum band once, that she later learned to play and joined the local steel drum band named “Steelin’ Thunder”. For over 10 years she was an active member of the band and performed with them at different events. When her health no longer allowed her to be physically active for the duration of a steel drum performance, she took up the ukulele and began playing with a Rockland, Maine ukulele group.

Family and friends were always the most treasured sources of happiness and satisfaction for Mary throughout her life. During the pandemic she regularly scheduled Zoom sessions with friends from high school, college and graduate school. She was loved and appreciated in return and will be missed by all who knew her.

Mary is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, John R. O’Connell; her two daughters and sons-in-law, Marybeth and David Moreno, Paige and James Teesdale; as well as three grandchildren, Charlotte Moreno, Faith Moreno and Ella Teesdale.

A celebration of Mary’s life will be announced in the summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s memory to, AIO Food and Energy Assistance, P.O. Box 113, Rockland, Maine 04841.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or condolence with Mary’s family, please visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.