She spent her younger years in Mobile and Handsboro, Mississippi, attending Murphy High School in Mobile and The University of Alabama.
As a child, she enjoyed flying kites with her father from the flat roof of their residence at 1004 Government Street in Mobile and playing with numerous Inge cousins. When she was a teenager, she raised canaries and during WWII, volunteered with several Mobile area service organizations.
At 19, she married Richard Edward McWilliams III and in 1949 had a son, R.E. McWilliams IV.
In 1953, Maria, now a divorcee' and school teacher, eloped with Joe W. Ryne, getting married in Lucedale, Mississippi. Daughter Maria C. Ryne was born in 1954, followed by Joseph W. Ryne, JR in 1955.
Joe began employment at Sunny Point Army Terminal and the family moved to Southport, North Carolina in 1956. Daughter Gratia Inge Ryne was born in 1959.
Active in community affairs, Maria and her husband were founding members of the Southport Artists’ Association, which was instrumental in starting the Fourth of July Art Show. As a talented artist herself, she won several awards for her paintings, later putting her art aside to raise her family.
In 1963, the family moved to Macon when Joe went to work at Warner Robins AFB. Outside of her family role, she was a founding member of the Republican Womens’ Group. Maria taught school for several years, sold World Books, and later worked at B Dalton Books, followed by Books A Million on Eisenhower Parkway for the duration of its operation. She was a founding member of All Saints Anglican Church of Macon.
Maria was an avid reader and Science Fiction fan, writing to, and receiving a reply from, Issac Asimov. She was fascinated by UFO research, and enjoyed reading and theorizing about the subject. She was terrific at gardening and could grow just about anything, with it being said she could probably root a toothpick. Maria was devoted to animals of all types and wasn't the least bit afraid of anything that walked, crawled, swam, or slithered. There were many occasions when she would get her children up in the middle of night to witness a lunar eclipse. She was equally at home singing in the church choir or teaching a nun how to whistle with her fingers, which is how she would call her children home for supper.
Maria’s love of reading and natural curiosity allowed her to strike up enlightening conversations across a wide range of subjects. She had a good sense of humor and an optimistic outlook on life, frequently quoting her mother, “Look on the sunny side.” She had a long braid, measuring 32”, which she cut and donated to Wigs for Kids just prior to her 90th birthday.
She was loved and respected by all who knew her. One of her favorite plays was “Harvey” about Elwood P. Dowd who has as a friend, a 6 foot tall white rabbit only he can see. At one point, he makes the observation that “in this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant...” Maria Ryne was both.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe Ryne, her brother Walter H. Inge, Jr., her mother, Gratia Seaman Inge, and her father, Walter H. Inge, Sr. She is survived by her two sons, Richard E. McWilliams III (Gena), Joseph Ryne, and two daughters, Maria C. Ryne and Gratia Inge Ryne, two nieces, Gratia Inge (Tony) Chatfield, and Leigh Inge Vaughn (Greg), great nephew, Gregory, grandchildren, Molly Wilkins, Gratia A. Ryne, Richard McWilliams IV (Kelly), and two great grandchildren, Bishop and Lilly Kate Wilkins.
A celebration of Maria’s life will be announced at a future date. In lieu of flowers, she requested donations be made to A Paw and a Prayer or Critical Care for Animal Angels.
