Mary Anne Liddell

Born 30 November 1948 to the late Thomas Joseph Gramzow, Sr. and late Florence Claire (Hayes) in Boston, Massachusetts, she is predeceased by her parents and her nephew, John Thomas Blank. She was proud to call Winchester, Massachusetts her home, along with family summers spent on The Cape. A remarkable and talented woman who handled her varied roles with grace and tenacity, Mary Anne graduated from Winchester High School in 1966, and Cardinal Cushing College in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.

Mary Anne married Bob on 16 October 1971, and began an amazing career as an Army wife and soon, mother. Following their first “tour” in Maple Shade, New Jersey, Bob and Mary Anne moved to Fort Eisenhower and had their first daughter, Jennifer. Moving to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Mary Anne helped Bob survive an intensive academic course, typing many a paper for submission. In Stuttgart, Germany, she started a program baking cookies for the single soldiers to be delivered on Christmas Eve. Mary Anne was an elegant partner to Bob while enjoying the United Kingdom as a US Army Exchange Officer with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. She was soon challenged by a new assignment at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where their second daughter, Megan, joined the family. The family then picked up and moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where Mary Anne was an active participant in the class wives’ group and survived a Kansas winter. When Bob was selected for battalion command in Parmesans, Germany, she became to driving force for the officers’ wives’ group, welcoming some of the first male spouses of officers.

Returning to the States, specifically Burke, Virginia in 1987, she resumed her cherished profession of teaching. Mary Anne worked for over 20-years teaching hundreds of pre-school children and setting them up for success in future academic studies. While being an Army wife and pre-school teacher, she continued to excel at being the greatest mom imaginable. Balancing softball practices and swim meets, sharing coffee, chocolate, laughs, crossword puzzles, and so much more, she never hesitated to put her daughters above all else.

Mary Anne is survived by her loving husband, Colonel Robert Joseph Liddell, US Army (Ret), her wonderful and talented daughters, Jennifer Florence Liddell, and her spouse, Scott, and Megan Elizabeth Liddell, and her spouse SGT Brendan Justin Hughes, US Army Reserve. Mary Anne is a founding member of the “Talls and Smalls” duo with her grandson, Jack, whose father is Jennifer’s former husband and Mary Anne’s poker mentor, Jamie. She is also survived by her sisters, Rita Bernadette Forte and her husband Kenneth Roderick Forte; sister Claire Christine Blank and her husband Robert Henry Blank; and her brother, William Frederick Gramzow, III and his wife Jennifer Anne (Duffy), as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Mary Anne also leaves behind a few four-legged friends; specifically, Gunner, Snugs and Ms. B. (Bailey).

The Liddell Family would like to express their deepest appreciation to the many Doctors, Nurses, Technical and Support staff who have cared for Mary Anne during the past few months. To all of those at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD; the Inova Mt. Vernon Hospital, and, her hospice nurses, Monica, Meghan, and Sara; thank you for your care and concern for Mary Anne.

To both Scott and Brendan, thank you for your encouragement, care, and unwavering support; we are immensely grateful. To our other dear friends and family who have provided their love and encouragement, we thank you as well. Jennifer would like to offer her sincere gratitude to her extraordinary colleagues at Ryan Faenza Carey, PC and the support they provided, without hesitation. Megan would like to extend her greatest appreciation to Dr. Ilona Gravers as well as her other colleagues for their genuine concern and care throughout this difficult time.

Local arrangements are being provided by Demaine Funeral Home, Springfield, Virginia.

Wake will be held at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 534 West Falmouth Highway (Rt. 28A), West Falmouth, Massachusetts, at a date to be determined. Burial will follow at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Mary Anne’s memory to your favorite canine rescue organization.