Mary was born on July 29, 1948 to the late George Hunter and Wylene (Thomason) Thompson in Wichita, KS.
Mary met Bill Stroock in 1963. They married in 1968 and remained in love for 50 years.
After graduating from Edgemont High School in 1966, Mary spent two years at Connecticut College for Women before leaving to start a family. A Girl Scout herself as a child, Mary volunteered to fill in one afternoon for her daughter's second grade assistant troop leader, and that set her on a lifelong career path. She attended classes part time at Mercy College while working her way up the volunteer ranks of the local Girl Scout organization. In 1982, she completed a BA in history and the following year started a paid position at Girls Scouts of the Taconic, which became Girl Scouts of Westchester * Putnam. Not content to stop there, Mary went back to Mercy for her MBA, and after 23 years, she retired as CEO of the council in 2006. While at the Girl Scouts, Mary worked to bring the organization’s values to tens of thousands of girls. She directed the GSWP Rocky Brook Summer Camp for two summers and oversaw tremendous growth of the council, both in membership and programming, with a particular focus on outreach to girls in under-served communities. In retirement, she volunteered at Hudson Valley Hospital Center.
Mary’s favorite times were beach trips with her husband, children and later grandchildren to Bermuda, Sanibel Island, Long Beach Island and Rehoboth, and her home is filled with mementoes of the shore. A devoted grandmother (Nana), she loved attending her grandchildren’s many plays and recitals, and taking her granddaughters to the salon for mani-pedis. She often remarked that she was happiest when her family was all together under one roof.
Mary is survived by her beloved husband Bill; loving children, William Stroock and his wife Jenica, and Tracey McFarland and her husband Brian, and her adoring grandchildren, Hannah, Brian, Meriam, Gregory, Lillianna and Ella.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 23, 2018 from 3 to 6pm at the EDWARD F. CARTER FUNERAL HOME, 41 Grand St., Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 24th at 10:00am also at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson.
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