Mary L. Desrosiers

She was born on March 8, 1928 in Rockport, Massachusetts, to Ernest C. Dickman and Mary Elizabeth (Waddell) Dickman. A graduate of Rockport High School, Class of 1946, Mary earned a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1950. For the remainder of her life, she stressed the importance of eating at least two vegetables with every dinner. Mary was fond of quilting and held court over a weekly quilting group. She was also a 50-year volunteer with Meals on Wheels. She quit at age 90 when asked to provide fingerprints and submit to a background check. The family does not know what she was trying to hide. A lifelong aquatics enthusiast, she celebrated her 90th birthday by swimming a mile and eating a peanut butter sandwich. She enjoyed reading the obituaries in the Gloucester Daily Times online every day. She openly cheated when playing Uno.

Mary married her husband of 70 years, Marcel L. "Mac" Desrosiers, on April 1, 1951. In addition to her husband, Mary is survived by five children, 11 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Proud of most of her children on many days, she once described herself as having "four children with honest jobs and one lawyer." Mary requested a funeral "just like Princess Diana's" with a eulogy by Margaret Thatcher even though she did not actually know Baroness Thatcher.

Actual arrangements will be more pedestrian with a mass at St. Philip Catholic Church, 7500 St. Philip's Ct., Falls Church, VA 22042 at 11:30 a.m. on November 1 and burial at Arlington National Cemetery on a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Falls Church Community Service Council, Inc., 7416 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, VA 22042, or your local food bank.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-fh.com for the Desrosiers family.