Alice Pickering

ALICE STOVER PICKERING Died June 23, 2011, at Goodwin House, Falls Church VA. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Thomas R. Pickering, her son, Timothy R. Pickering ( Carolyn), her daughter, Margaret "Meg" (John Schmidt), and four grandchildren: Karen Pickering (fiancé Clinton Kerr), Ted Pickering (Brandy), Graham and Gordon Schmidt. She had two great-grandchildren Aspyn and Tanner Pickering. She is also survived by her brother, Charles Chesney Stover and sister-in-law, Marcia Pickering Hunt. She was born June 15, 1931 to George Chesney Stover and Alice Gill Stover in Sharon PA. She was an honors and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Swarthmore College and received master's degrees in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and in library science from the Catholic University of America, where she was member of the Beta Phi Mu International Library and Information Studies Honor. Alice Pickering served as a Foreign Service officer in the United States Information Agency from 1954 to 1955 in The Hague, Netherlands, and was a reference librarian at Sherwood Hall Regional Library in Fairfax County VA. Following her marriage, she accompanied her husband to his naval assignment in Port Lyautey, Morocco, and to 10 diplomatic posts, including seven where he served as Ambassador: Geneva, Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salaam, Amman, Lagos, San Salvador, Tel Aviv, the United Nations in New York, New Delhi, and Moscow. She was a member of the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, and the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide. She was a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Alexandria VA for over 50 years. She was beloved by her family and friends, and she will be profoundly missed. She cared deeply about people in need, whether in her own neighborhood or around the globe, loved her country and served it with great distinction for most of her life, and believed passionately in the power of education to transform people's lives. Her family will receive friends on Thursday, June 30, from 6 to 8:30 p.m, at the Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 1, 2011, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 8009 Fort Hunt Rd., Alexandria VA 22308. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Friends of Sherwood Hall Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria VA 22306-2799; the American Center for Oriental Research, Amman Jordan, 656 Beacon St., 5th floor, Boston MA 02215; the National Parks Conservation Association, 777 6th St., NW, Washington DC 20001-3723; WETA, 3636 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206; or WAMU 88.5, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 20016-8082.