Mary Ball Coggeshall

June 17, 1945 ~ May 14, 2024
Born in:
Rocky Mount, NC
Resided in:
Vienna, Va
Mary Lambert Ball Coggeshall was born on June 17, 1945, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The only child of Elizabeth Dove Renneker and Robert Woodruff Ball, Jr., she grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, spending her summers with her toes in the sand of Wrightsville Beach.
Mary graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with an English degree and went on to earn a Masters in the Art of Teaching there, where she met her husband, Porter Eaton Coggeshall.
After graduation, Mary and Porter taught in Boston, MA, until they moved to the Washington, DC, area and settled for 45 years in Vienna, VA, and raised their two daughters Elizabeth Dove Coggeshall and Windsor Eaton Coggeshall.
With a lifelong passion for the English language, Mary participated in, if not led, numerous book clubs, including one with the AAUW Vienna chapter. She was a part-time editor for business journals at one point and a full-time editor of her daughters’ English papers.
And for over 10 years, Mary volunteered teaching English as a Second Language. A consummate and devoted teacher, she became close friends with many of her students. Mary enjoyed entertaining in her home and frequently held parties to celebrate with her students and share American holidays and customs.
An avid gardener, Mary was known for her compassionate care for all living things, especially wildflowers and birds. She is credited by her neighbours with attracting the bluebird population to her street with her mail-ordered mealworms. Most often, Mary was seen walking her beloved West Highland terriers with her dear friend Susan.
She was warm, kind, and compassionate to everyone she met, but above all, she dedicated herself to loving and caring for her family.
Mary passed away on May 14, 2024, and was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Porter, and is survived by her daughters Dove and Windsor, and son-in-law Marc Buursink, and she will be dearly missed by her granddog Casper and the Blair Road bluebirds.
A celebration of her life is currently planned for Saturday, June 15, 2024. To receive an invitation, please contact the family by going to https://bit.ly/MaryCoggeshall
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Presbyterian Children’s Home of the Highlands
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Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Mary Ball Coggeshall 's name.
Windsor, Dove, and Marc- we are thinking of you and wishing you moments of peace, comfort, and love.
Dove and Windsor, I am so sorry to hear of your Mom’s passing. She was such a sweet lady. I will keep both of you in my prayers.
Beth Gourley