Mary Gardiner Wilson

   Mary Gardiner Wilson, 66, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and formerly a longtime resident of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully, after a five-year battle with cancer, on Monday, October 9, 2023 in her home where she was being cared for by family.

   Born in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1957, Mary was the daughter of the late Leo Franklin and Ellen McGrath Gardiner.  A graduate of the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies, she later completed her master’s degree in Education from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts.  

   Mary began her career in business with Fidelity Investments before she became an educator.  She spent more than 30 years as an elementary school teacher having retired from Plymouth Public Schools (Massachusetts) in 2020.  Mary held her colleagues in high regard and was grateful to have built so many strong friendships with her peers throughout her years in education.  She dedicated her career to impacting the lives of hundreds of students early in their education, and took great pride, and joy, to see generations of students pass through her classroom throughout her 30-year education career.

   A devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, niece, and friend, Mary deeply loved her family and valued, immensely, time spent with her husband, her children, her grandchildren, and her extended family and friends. Mary belonged to the Catholic church and was a Religious Education teacher for more than a decade. Mary was a lifelong learner with a passion for reading.  She enjoyed cooking, gardening, and taking in baseball games.

   Surviving is her husband of 43 years, Gerard B. Wilson, Jr.; her son, Gerard B. Wilson, III (wife, Kylee) of Windsor, Colorado; her daughter, Julia G. Adams (husband, Ronnie) of Newton Grove, North Carolina; and two grandsons, Eli and Peter Wilson, both of Windsor, Colorado.  Mary is also survived by four brothers, Thomas Gardiner of Elizabeth City North Carolina, Stephen Gardiner of Graham, North Carolina, Kevin Gardiner of Norfolk, Virginia, and Richard Gardiner of Bedford Hills, New York; and many extended family members and friends.

   A gathering and time of visitation will be held Saturday, October 21, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Miller & Van Essendelft Funeral Chapel, 1125 Harvey Point Road, Hertford, North Carolina.

   A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in Holy Family Catholic Church, 601 Tremont Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts. Burial will follow in Duxbury Mayflower Cemetery.

   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made either to the Plymouth Public Library Foundation, 132 South Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 or to the NC Spinal Cord Injury Association (Please list in memo for Raleigh Wheelchair Rugby Team), 7980 Chapel Hill Road, Suite 101, Cary, NC 27513.

   Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.