Mary Fay Wilkinson

Mary Fay Wilkinson passed away on July 22nd at age 96, due to complications from Alzheimer’s. Fay or Nannie, as she was known to her friends, and large and loving family, lived her life with a radiance and joy that was irresistible to all who were privileged to know her. Born in 1927, she lived through the signature events that have shaped modern America - from the Great Depression to World War II to the civil rights movement. Her indomitable spirit, her grace, her sheer sense of fun, shone through every challenge she ever faced, both personal and professional. In 1954, Fay met the love of her life, Bill Wilkinson, and together they would build a close-knit clan of seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Nothing was more important to her than her family and her faith. She lived the Catholic faith in everything she did, from raising her children to her professional life in Social Work to her interactions with everyone she met. A renaissance woman, she sang with the Sweet Adelines, managed the Pepsi Wagon for McLean Youth Athletic Association and donated her time to the Network for Catholic Social Justice. While raising her own seven children, she worked with Fairfax County Social Services, placing abused and neglected kids with new families. And she always encouraged the women she worked with to continue their education, mentoring several as they, like her, received their master’s degrees. But more than anything, it is Fay’s humor that will be remembered. Long before the “Dad Joke,” she created the “Mom Joke,” usually an off-hand observation amusing only to herself. She had a wonderful laugh. Not a tee-hee or a twitter, it came from deep inside her. It was a laugh that made you feel loved. It was a laugh you could trust. Fay is survived by her children – George (Cecilia), Charles, Jim - barely, Bill (Eileen), Tom, Helen Petrakes (Chris) and John, and her many devoted grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces and cousins, and extended family.