Mary Ann Rowe

When they moved to Washington, D.C., Mary Ann attended National Cathedral School and Woodrow Wilson High School, where she excelled on the Varsity Cheerleading Team and made a devoted group of lifelong friends. As a student at Bucknell University, she joined Pi Beta Phi sorority, and pursued her love of art and history. She married Washington attorney, Lawrence Darrow Huntsman, in 1956, and began a career as a kindergarten teacher at Beauvoir, The National Cathedral Elementary School. While teaching and raising two daughters, she volunteered her weekends for a non-profit organization of teachers who organized, drove and chaperoned underserved children, while taking them to museums, historic landmarks, amusement parks, live performances and The National Zoo.

In 1970, she married Charles S. Rowe, a newspaper editor from Fredericksburg, and moved from Washington to Virginia. Her family more than doubled in size, as Charles' three children and Mary Ann's two, merged into a real-life version of "The Brady Bunch".

Mary Ann leapt into community service, volunteering for Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, and was tasked with leadership responsibilities at Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop and museum, and The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library. She tirelessly acquired, collected, researched and archived numerous old and new artifacts, creating and improving both museums.

She was also an active member of St. George's Episcopal Church, The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, the Parnassus Club, and several book clubs. An avid reader, she'd consume The Washington Post every morning, The Free Lance-Star each afternoon and her latest novel before bed.

Her love of travel took her across the U.S. and abroad, and she particularly enjoyed China, Tibet and Italy. While once traveling with an Associated Press team to China, both tires on her airplane exploded during landing, and as her plane skidded, scraped and sparked down the runway, she remained unfazed.

From her father, she inherited an appreciation of Big Band music, as he was a swing bandleader prior to becoming an attorney. Her love of dancing came from her mother, who was a National 'Charleston' Champion in the 1920s. Mary Ann was always game to dance, but only, as she would say, "if my partner truly knows how to lead".

She adored the chaos of her large family and all of her children's friends, deeply loved her grandchildren, her own dear friends, new and old, her beloved dogs, home and garden, and the backyard birds and squirrels. She fancied owls of all kinds. Her passions included painting with oils, architecture and historic homes, teaching young children, and researching (pre-internet) her family genealogy. She frequently visited older cemeteries, in various states and countries, and dedicated many hours to genealogical research in their local libraries.

Mary Ann spent her later decades with long-term partner, Jim Ellis, whom she had known since college, and who was a retired university professor of art and professional watercolorist. Jim predeceased her.

She is survived by her blended family of children, Laurie Huntsman (Steve LeMenager), Dr. Kathy Huntsman, Ashley Gould (Jeff), and Tim Rowe (Lori), as well as grandchildren, Jeremy, Emily and Alden, her niece Lili and nephew Britt. She was predeceased by stepson, Charlie Rowe and by her brother, Fred Else. Mary Ann adored her companion team and closest friend, Pam.

A memorial service for Mary Ann will be held at St. George's Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM, and will be followed by a reception in the church hall. Her burial, at Fredericksburg Cemetery, will follow the reception.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Mary Ann's memory to St. George's Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia, or to your favorite personal charity.

She was a marvelous companion, partner, wife, mother, daughter and friend, and will forever be as elegant, charming and beautiful in death, as she was in life.