Mary Anne Thomas Stazesky, age 95, of Hockessin, Delaware, died peacefully on April 30, 2024, at Acts Cokesbury Village, Hockessin DE. She was born November 30,1928 in Elkton MD, the first of two children to the Rev. Essell P. and Elsie Thomas.
Mary Anne graduated from Wilmington High School, earned her Bachelors of Arts from McDaniel College and her Masters in Library Science from Drexell University where her thesis was about the Delaware State Archives. She began her librarian career at the downtown Wilmington DE Public Library followed by working at the Yale Divinity School library in New Haven Conn and later Tower Hill School in Wilmington from 1972 to 1991 where she computerized the library collection. She was the Cokesbury Village librarian for 8 years and earlier worked as the weekend receptionist for many years at the Methodist Country House in Wilmington DE.
Mary Anne paused her professional career in the 60s/early 70s to be the loving and devoted Mother to her three children. She was the cornerstone of the family’s life, imbuing her children with her love of literature, sports, commitment to friends, music singing in 7 choirs and the Wilmington Opera chorus and her life-long commitment to the United Methodist Church as the daughter and wife of United Methodist ministers.
Mary Anne was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. Richard C. Stazesky, Sr., and her parents and brother Essell Thomas. She is survived by her sons Richard, Jr. (Brooklyn, NY) and Paul (New Durham, NH), her daughter Jan (John) Allard (New Durham, NH), and her deeply loved grandchildren Drew Stazesky, Samuel Allard, and Thomas and Taylor Stazesky.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 8th at 11am at Acts Cokesbury Village, Hockessin followed by a reception. Interment will be private in Old St. James Cemetery.
