Mary Ann Partridge
August 31, 1929 ~ December 5, 2021
Mary Ann (Prichard) Partridge, 92, of McLean, at The Gardens of Fair Oaks where she had resided for several years, of dementia and heart failure, on December 5th, 2021. Mary was the only daughter of Ann Prichard, a longtime leader in Missouri's League of Women Voters, and Leslie Prichard, hired by Joseph Pulitzer as the first advertising validator in America to protect St Louis Post-Dispatch readers from snake oil salesmen peddling fake nostrums
Mary is preceded to rest by her husband, Edwin Maynard Partridge Jr, as well as her brother James Prichard and his wife Christine and their son William; her niece Ann Marie Prichard; her brother- and sister-in-law, Dr Richard and Priscilla McElvein; and her daughter-in-law, Elise Tompkins Partridge, wife of Ed and Mary's younger son Stephen Bradford Partridge of Vancouver BC.
Survived by Stephen; their older son Edwin Maynard Partridge III and his partner Patrick Mc Rae, of Portland OR; niece Heather McElvein Malaby of Virginia Beach, VA and her family; nephews Douglas (of Ballwin MO) and Bruce McElvein (of Chevy Chase MD) and their families; and nephew John Prichard (of Tampa FL) and his family.
Graduating from Mt Holyoke College in 1950, Mary married Ed, her brother Jim's Yale roommate. They made their home in Wyckoff, New Jersey, just one town removed from Ed's Ridgewood upbringing. Mary was quickly employed by the local weekly Wyckoff, twice-weekly Ridgewood, and daily Bergen County newspapers as a stringer, with particular emphasis on official town civic meetings, club activities, youth organizations, and high school sports.
Her sons, born in the 1950s, consumed more of Mary's time and energy throughout the next decade. In 1970, a promotion of Ed's took the family to McLean, VA, where they settled for the rest of their lives. There they formed friendships with a group of families in McLean Hamlet which lasted for more than 40 years; Mary was the last member of this group to move out of the Hamlet. Soon after arriving in McLean, she returned to journalism as the editor of several Vienna news publications and Virginia feature magazines. Her sons remember her coming home late from round-the-Beltway typesetting and page-proofing efforts that went on weekly and monthly. Expansion of these publications into Arlington and Northern Fairfax, with the concomitant extra late nights, helped Mary decide to move into public relations.
At the same time, Marymount College of Virginia was undertaking serious expansion and re-branding, which required the assistance of an experienced media professional. As the first Manager, and later Director of College Relations, Mary with other senior administrators managed the college's transition into an internationally recognized university for bachelor's and advanced degrees in many fields. She oversaw the expansion of the internship program into corporate offices, legislative chambers, and law firms throughout the DC area; modernized the college's publications; and kept local and national media focused on president Sister Majella Berg's vision of the college's growth from a boarding high school and two-year college for women into the comprehensive, coeducational Catholic university it is today, serving approximately 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
In the 1970s Mary accompanied Ed on his extended work assignments to Belgium and Germany, which gave them opportunities to travel with old friends and new. In the same period she traveled to the Soviet Union with fellow graduates of Mt Holyoke. An active member of alumnae clubs in New Jersey and the DC area, Mary also served in an advisory capacity to the prize-winning Mt Holyoke alumnae quarterly. Mary's newspaper and other local contacts in Northern Virginia served well her favorite local Democratic candidates, whom she assisted in various media roles.
In retirement, Mary's community service included as an officer of the McLean Hamlet Garden Club; organizing spring shows for the McLean Garden Club; as show manager for several National Capital Area Dahlia Shows; and as president of the National Capital Dahlia Society during the national society's show in Washington DC. For every club she joined, small or large, members and directors could count on Mary's PR expertise to attract large crowds and contented presenters. She was also of service to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church as a Deacon and a Stephen Minister.
Mary cared closely for her mother during an extended widowhood that concluded in Ann's decade-long struggle with dementia. Shortly thereafter Ed was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and Mary was his primary caregiver for the rest of his life, during which they remained active in clubs and with friends. She was always especially present for friends during their own difficult times.
A private graveside service at Oakwood Cemetery, presided over by Senior Pastor Scott Ramsay at 1 pm December 9th.
The family requests donations, should you be moved to make them, to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation.
Mary is preceded to rest by her husband, Edwin Maynard Partridge Jr, as well as her brother James Prichard and his wife Christine and their son William; her niece Ann Marie Prichard; her brother- and sister-in-law, Dr Richard and Priscilla McElvein; and her daughter-in-law, Elise Tompkins Partridge, wife of Ed and Mary's younger son Stephen Bradford Partridge of Vancouver BC.
Survived by Stephen; their older son Edwin Maynard Partridge III and his partner Patrick Mc Rae, of Portland OR; niece Heather McElvein Malaby of Virginia Beach, VA and her family; nephews Douglas (of Ballwin MO) and Bruce McElvein (of Chevy Chase MD) and their families; and nephew John Prichard (of Tampa FL) and his family.
Graduating from Mt Holyoke College in 1950, Mary married Ed, her brother Jim's Yale roommate. They made their home in Wyckoff, New Jersey, just one town removed from Ed's Ridgewood upbringing. Mary was quickly employed by the local weekly Wyckoff, twice-weekly Ridgewood, and daily Bergen County newspapers as a stringer, with particular emphasis on official town civic meetings, club activities, youth organizations, and high school sports.
Her sons, born in the 1950s, consumed more of Mary's time and energy throughout the next decade. In 1970, a promotion of Ed's took the family to McLean, VA, where they settled for the rest of their lives. There they formed friendships with a group of families in McLean Hamlet which lasted for more than 40 years; Mary was the last member of this group to move out of the Hamlet. Soon after arriving in McLean, she returned to journalism as the editor of several Vienna news publications and Virginia feature magazines. Her sons remember her coming home late from round-the-Beltway typesetting and page-proofing efforts that went on weekly and monthly. Expansion of these publications into Arlington and Northern Fairfax, with the concomitant extra late nights, helped Mary decide to move into public relations.
At the same time, Marymount College of Virginia was undertaking serious expansion and re-branding, which required the assistance of an experienced media professional. As the first Manager, and later Director of College Relations, Mary with other senior administrators managed the college's transition into an internationally recognized university for bachelor's and advanced degrees in many fields. She oversaw the expansion of the internship program into corporate offices, legislative chambers, and law firms throughout the DC area; modernized the college's publications; and kept local and national media focused on president Sister Majella Berg's vision of the college's growth from a boarding high school and two-year college for women into the comprehensive, coeducational Catholic university it is today, serving approximately 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
In the 1970s Mary accompanied Ed on his extended work assignments to Belgium and Germany, which gave them opportunities to travel with old friends and new. In the same period she traveled to the Soviet Union with fellow graduates of Mt Holyoke. An active member of alumnae clubs in New Jersey and the DC area, Mary also served in an advisory capacity to the prize-winning Mt Holyoke alumnae quarterly. Mary's newspaper and other local contacts in Northern Virginia served well her favorite local Democratic candidates, whom she assisted in various media roles.
In retirement, Mary's community service included as an officer of the McLean Hamlet Garden Club; organizing spring shows for the McLean Garden Club; as show manager for several National Capital Area Dahlia Shows; and as president of the National Capital Dahlia Society during the national society's show in Washington DC. For every club she joined, small or large, members and directors could count on Mary's PR expertise to attract large crowds and contented presenters. She was also of service to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church as a Deacon and a Stephen Minister.
Mary cared closely for her mother during an extended widowhood that concluded in Ann's decade-long struggle with dementia. Shortly thereafter Ed was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and Mary was his primary caregiver for the rest of his life, during which they remained active in clubs and with friends. She was always especially present for friends during their own difficult times.
A private graveside service at Oakwood Cemetery, presided over by Senior Pastor Scott Ramsay at 1 pm December 9th.
The family requests donations, should you be moved to make them, to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation.
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