Mary Burke Brown

her children at her home in Bethesda, Maryland. The youngest of three children, Mary Burke

was born on August 8, 1937. She was predeceased by her siblings – John Burke (Joanne) and

Ann Burke (Gerard). Mary was the daughter of Nora and Martin Burke, deceased, from Galway,

Ireland. Her father was four times decorated and honored for his allegiance to Ireland,

serving alongside Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera in The Irish Volunteers during the 1916

Irish Uprising.

A native Washingtonian, Mary attended St. Thomas the Apostle School, The Academy of the

Holy Cross, Dumbarton College and Georgetown University. She worked on Capitol Hill in the

congressional offices of California Congressmen Clem Miller and James Corman and later at

The American Film Institute, the Kennedy Center then The Washington Post.

Mary married her husband, Jim of 52 years in 1963. Jim predeceased Mary in 2016. Mary and

Jim were parishioners of Little Flower Church in Bethesda, MD where their three children

attended school. She is survived by her three children: James B. (Anna), Elizabeth Rembold

(Scott), and Martin P. (Michelle). Mary was devoted to her nine grandchildren: Cullen (Ellen),

Patrick, and Grayson Brown; Caitlin, Nora, and Burke Rembold; and Matthew, Thomas, and

Patrick Brown. She is also survived by a great grandchild: Madeline James Brown.

Mary embodied the stereotypical Irish redhead: passionate, fun, strong-willed, and

unapologetically feisty. She will be remembered for candid debates about politics, her love of

tennis, her devotion to friends and family, her pride in being a native Washingtonian, and her

evening ritual glass of J. Lohr with her beloved husband Jim or one of her many friends. She

loved watching her nine grandchildren spend time together at her home on Rehoboth Bay in

Delaware. Mary always found time for her extended family members, which afforded her

deep connections with her many nieces and nephews. Her Woodley Park neighbors and high

school friends remained constants in her life, up until her passing. She will be deeply missed

by her family, her extended family and her lifelong friends.

Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes located on the

Georgetown Prep campus, 10900 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, Maryland on December 18th

at 11:00 am. Friends and family are invited to greet the family at the church at 10:00 am.

Interment will be private at a later date, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,

contributions can be made in her name to Georgetown Preparatory School or Little Flower

Church. Please enjoy a glass of your favorite red wine in her memory.