Mary Jane Fry, 81, of Chestnut Street in Providence, passed away peacefully on Thursday July 11th in the Notre Dame Long Term Care Center, Worcester MA.
She was the daughter of the late Harold D. and Mary Ellen (Murphy) Fry. Mary Jane was born in Providence and grew up on College Hill and in Greenville where she loved swimming and skating on Slacks Pond.
Mary Jane graduated from Perkins School for the Blind and the Father Carroll Center for the Blind. After completing training in Little Rock, Arkansas, she worked as a customer service representative for the IRS in the Boston office for over 20 years before her retirement.
Mary Jane was an independent woman and a strong advocate for people with disabilities, particularly blind people. She was an active member of the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island, serving as Secretary for many years, in addition to attending monthly meetings and traveling around the country for the annual national convention.
Mary Jane was adventurous and never let blindness dampen her positive outlook on life. She loved to travel, and in addition to traversing the complicated commute between Providence and Boston every day for work, she enjoyed many vacations abroad, to Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, as well as cruises to Alaska and the Bahamas.
She was a perpetual optimist, always cheerful and positive, quick to laugh at and make a joke, including at her own expense (like offering to drive the car).
Her Catholic faith was strong, and she was a regular communicant at St Michael’s Parish in Smithfield. She faced the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease with grace (and sometimes anger and frustration), but never lost her faith in the good God. Her family is immensely grateful for the kind care she received at Whitney Place in Westborough MA and Notre Dame Long Term Care Center in Worcester.
Mary Jane leaves behind a large, loving family of cousins, nieces and nephews and their spouses, and grand nieces and nephews, who will all miss her dearly.
Her funeral will be held Wednesday July 17th at 11am from the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am in St. Michael’s Church, Farnum Pike, Smithfield. Burial will follow in St. Ann’s Cemetery, Cranston. Visitation Wednesday morning will be held from 9:30am to 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island. www.nfbri.org National Federation of the Blind RI