Mary V. Chase

Mary A (Vierczhalek) Chase, a resident of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, passed away on April 14, 2025. She was 97 years old. Mary was born on January 12, 1928 in the mining town of Franklin, NJ the middle child of the late Adam and Anna (Macao) Muchka. Before her retirement, she worked as a registered nurse and Central Supply Supervisor in the health care industry at Orange Memorial and Bergen Pines Hospitals.

Adventure always called Mary to explore new pursuits. She learned to drive at age 14, learned to swim in an abandoned quarry and skated over the frozen lakes of Sussex County. One of her favorite stories was as a passenger in a biplane doing a barrel roll over a pond and the “backseat” (an unsecured couch) fell out and into the water.

Mary was a woman ahead of her time. She always dreamed of being an aeronautical engineer, but opportunities for women of that era were limited. She left her small town to enroll in nursing school at age 17 as part of the US effort in World War II to increase the number of registered nurses. She quickly became an operating room nurse and then operating room supervisor.

She married John R. Vierczhalek July 1, 1951. They lived in a tiny apartment in East Orange New Jersey where they shared a love of horse racing and nightclubbing. Change came again in 1957 and 58 with the arrival of children Susan and Kenneth born 15 months apart. The young family began a series of road trips to the Jersey shore, southern US, Canada, Mexico, California, and New England in their station wagon. A lifelong learner, she took art classes and notably painted the “Stairway to Heaven” mural from Led Zepplin IV in her son’s room.

She returned to school at the age of 49 and earned her college diploma while working full time. At the same time, her husband John’s health began failing. The couple moved to Florida and she became his full time caregiver for 10 years.

Her curiosity inspired her to travel throughout her life. Four months after her husband John died (1990), she boarded a plane for her first international trip and met her son Ken in Spain. She took many trips with Elder Hostel (England, Germany, and France). Mary switched gears after her move to Florida and became a licensed realtor, buying the first cellphone in the family and accessing the internet in dial up days. She was doing home exchanges in the early 90’s before Air BnB existed. This enabled her to travel to Europe and Australia with her second husband Don Chase.

Mary was an athlete throughout her life. She enjoyed ice skating, dancing, and roller skating, but most of all she loved to swim. Much of her time in Florida was spent swimming for hours at a time. This was her moving meditation. More than once, she swam with a pod of dolphins shadowing her strokes and turning when she did.

Mary relocated to Croton-On-Hudson NY in 2011 to be closer to family who will miss her dearly.

She is survived by daughter Susan Vierczhalek, son-in-law John O’Connell, son Ken Vierczhalek ,daughter -in law Alice Pugh and grandchildren Sean and Michaela O’Connell and Arianna and Kimberly Vierczhalek. She was predeceased by husbands John R. Vierczhalek and Donald A. Chase. Sisters Rose and Caroline and brothers Joseph and Steve.

All services are private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her honor to The Multiple Sclerosis Society.