Mary St. Clair Kimball, 86, of Marblehead, died peacefully surrounded by her loving family on May 13. She was born on October 23, 1937, in Canton, Ohio, the first child of the late John Denniston St. Clair and Catherine Andrews St. Clair. She was predeceased by her brother, John Denniston St. Clair Jr., also of Marblehead.
Mary is survived by her children, Catherine D. Cormier (Philip) of Lexington, Elizabeth D. Parker (Joseph) of Marblehead, and John T. Dana (Cathy) of Marblehead. She enjoyed seeing her six grandchildren: Elise (Ian) Schaeffer, Henry Cormier, Will (Katie) Parker, Sam (Sarah) Parker, Allison Dana and Tyler Dana. Mary was blessed with two great-granddaughters, Madelyn Schaeffer and Finley Parker. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Kathy St. Clair, who was a caregiver superhero supporting Mary and her family throughout the past year.
Mary grew up in Canton, Ohio, and graduated from Laurel School before attending Wheaton College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. She was a proud member of the Wheatones, Wheaton’s a cappella group. In her earlier years, she played tennis and badminton and windsurfed in Marblehead Harbor with a group of women called The Flying Mums. Mary enjoyed traveling the world with friends and family. She enjoyed gardening and arranging flowers. Mary was an avid bridge player up until the time of her death. She volunteered at the WGBH Channel 2 auction for many years, as well as with many other organizations.
Resilience and feistiness were prevalent throughout Mary’s life, which she exhibited until her final days, along with her sense of humor, which we all so appreciated and will sorely miss.
Mary’s family would like to thank her caregivers at The Mariner Marblehead and the nurses and doctors at Kaplan Family Hospice House.
Funeral services will be private and handled through Murphy Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty St., Danvers, MA 01923.
