Mary Jane Pierce Ibelle

Mary Jane was a buoyant personality with a quick smile who took pride in her ability to meet people and make new friends wherever she went. She was encouraging, outgoing and interested in people – characteristics that made her a wonderful wife, mother and friend.

Mary Jane was born and raised in Hartford, where she graduated from Buckley High School in 1943. It was during her school years in Hartford that she met her lifelong love, Bertram P. Ibelle. According to family legend, Mary Jane was 10 years old when her future husband spotted her walking down the street, turned to his mother and said, “I’m going to marry that red-headed girl.” He eventually did – and they were married for 62 years. (Bertram died in August 2010).

Following high school, Mary Jane worked at Hartford City Hall in the Finance Department while Bertram completed his freshman year at Dartmouth College and served in the Army Air Force during World War II. On Jan. 24, 1948, she married Bertram and joined him at Dartmouth, where she worked in the college Admissions Office until 1950.

She and her husband raised their family in South Windsor and moved permanently to their summer house in Old Lyme, CT in 1989.

During their long life together Mary Jane and Bert visited Bermuda many times and traveled to Mexico,Jamica, Canada, Italy, Russia, Finland, Estonia, England, Greece, Turkey, Cypress, Israel, Denmark, Sweeden, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the Danube, Spain, Morocco and the Caribbean. In addition to their international travel, they traveled extensively in the U.S., including annual reunions of the 483rd Bomber Group and several extended stays in Myrtle Beach, SC.

In between their travels, Bert and Mary Jane loved to take day trips in their airplane, a Piper Cherokee 140. Their favorite weekend activity was to hop in the plane and fly out to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard or Block Island for lunch.

Mary Jane and Bert were avid patrons of the theater, with season tickets to the Hartford Stage Company, the Goodspeed Opera House, the Norma Terrace Theater and the Ivoryton Playhouse – to which they donated two seats during renovations. They were also members of Mystic Seaport, the Florence Griswold Museum and the Old Lyme Country Club. In addition, Mary Jane served as president of the Elmwood School (West Hartford) PTA and is a past president of the Old Lyme Shores Beach Association.

She leaves behind her two sons, Robert and Bill, her daughter-in-law Carla, her two grandchildren, Malina and Jackson, her sister Diane Frazier and sisters-in-law, June Markel and Evelyn Pierce.

Calling hours will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday May 30 at the Fulton Funeral Home on 13 Beckwith Lane in Old Lyme. Please visit www.fultontherouxoldlyme.com for photos, tributes, directions and more service information. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Dartmouth College Fund/Financial Aid at The Gift Recording Office, 6066, Development Office, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. 03755.Development Office, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. 03755.