Mary Ann Townsend Wiley

Mary Ann T. Wiley was born in Charleston, West Virginia on August 30, 1930 and passed away on October 7, 2013. She attended the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa. and Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass where she was president of College Government in her senior year.

She and her husband, Robert L. Wiley, were married on November 28, 1953 while Bob was in the U. S. Navy. They lived in Norfolk, Va. and after the Navy in Cambridge, Mass., moved to Boise, Idaho in 1958 and Seattle in 1964. They have lived on Mercer Island ever since.

Their son, Robert III lives in Bellevue with his wife, Wendy and their daughters: Marene, a junior at the University of Washington, Reagan, a freshman at Gonzaga and Tory, a seventh grader. Their daughter, Ann, lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Mary Ann worked in the travel industry from 1974 until 1994, organizing and escorting educational tours worldwide. The Pacific Science Center, Women’s University Club, Wellesley and Harvard Colleges were among the groups she worked with. After retirement she volunteered at Senior Right Assistance, a division of Senior Services of King County, which provides legal and medical insurance information for seniors. She was also an assistant instructor at Senior Net, a volunteer organization that provides computer training for seniors. While a guide at the Japanese Garden, she and Bob spearheaded a successful $1.5 million campaign to construct the new entry Gatehouse.

She was a member of the Women’s University Club for 40 years. As a member of Lake Washington Garden Club, Unit 5, she and other members volunteered as “Meadow Rovers” at Mt. Rainier National Park. For a number of years, they walked the trails in uniform to free Rangers for other duties.

She served on the boards of the Junior League of Seattle, the Wellesley College Alumnae Association, the Pacific Science Center, Camp Fire of King Country where she received the Gulick Award for service, the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America where she was one of the first women board members.

Mary Ann volunteered on the unsuccessful Death with Dignity Initiative 119 in 1991 and on the successful Initiative 1000 in 2008. A memorial may be sent to Compassion and Choices of Washington, PO Box 61369, Seattle, WA 98141 – 6369, or any organization of your choice.

A Memorial Service will be held at the Mercer Island Community Center, 8236 SE 24th Street, Mercer Island at 3:00 PM on Saturday, November 2, 2013.