Mary Alice Bair passed away December 15, 2024 at Arden Courts of Wilmington, Delaware surrounded by family. Mary Alice was born November 30,1929 in Wilmington, Delaware. As a young girl she enjoyed ballet and tap dancing and was active in Girl Scouts. She had a pen pal who was a Girl Guide in England. They became lifelong friends and continued to correspond during WWII and as adults until the death of her friend.
After graduating from Conrad High School in Wilmington in 1947, she went to Greensboro Collage in North Carolina where she majored in social work. Graduating in 1951 from Greensboro College she went on to the University of Pennsylvania. Mary Alice received her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1953 and began a rewarding career with Children’s Bureau of Delaware. After thirty eight years of working with children and adoptive families, Mary Alice retired in 1991.
In 1994 Mary Alice married Johnson Bair, a widower, who, like Mary Alice was a member of Richardson Park United Methodist Church. They had ten wonderful years together before his death in 2004. She adored and was very proud of her stepchildren and grandchildren.
They were both active in their church. Mary Alice had many roles in Richardson Park United Methodist Church. She was a member of the choir and also the Koinonia Class where she taught Sunday School. As church historian she worked tirelessly to preserve the history of the church. Later in life she volunteered in the re-sale shop run by the church. The church was always the central focus of her life. In addition to her parents and a sister who died in infancy she is preceded in death by her husband, Johnson Bair, who died in 2004 and her brother, Wesley G. Brogan, who died in 2015.
Mary Alice is survived by her sister, Sharyn Murray, her sister-in-law Dorothy Brogan, her nieces, Susan Hope and Betsy Buchanan, and nephew Scott Brogan. She is survived by her stepchildren David Bair, Stephen Bair and Nancy Perugini. She is also survived by eight grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at McCrery and Harra Funeral Home, 3924 Concord Pike Wilmington, Delaware on December 21 at 10:30 am. Visitation begins at 9:30. Interment will be at Silverbrook Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Richardson Park United Methodist Church, Wilmington, Delaware.
