In Memory

Mary Spriggs VIEW PROFILE

Mary Spriggs

Mary Rose Spriggs
Date of Birth: August 11, 1953
Date of Death: December 3, 2002
Cemetery: Fairfax Memorial Park

 

On Tuesday, December 3, 2002 in Arlington Virginia Mary lost her battle with cancer.  She is survived by five brothers, Mark Spriggs, Raymond Spriggs, Thomas Spriggs, Joseph Spriggs, and John Spriggs and three sisters, Christine Spriggs, Diane Skinner, Eleanor Rasmussen; and several loving nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was held on December 7, 2002 at St. Benadette's Catholic Church.  Immediately following was the inurnment at Fairfax Memorial Park.

The family had requested, in lieu of flowers to have donations made to Hospice of Northern Virginia

 

Photo: left to right –Mary Spriggs, Joanne Spriggs (Joe’s wife), Brother, Joe Spriggs, Sister, Christine Spriggs, and her husband, Mike Sydoriak

 

 

 

 

Photo: left to right - Mike Sydoriak (Christine's husband); Christine Spriggs in green coat; and Mary Spriggs

 

 



 
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08/21/11 04:17 PM #1    

Gregory Porter

 

Prior to the start of the first class during our Junior year, I would go to the cafeteria each morning to read or otherwise hang out. One day, I noticed an incredibly pretty young lady. I didn't know her name, but I became determined to meet her.

Now, the most common-sense approach to this task would have been to  simply introduce myself to her. However, that would involved a measure of self-confidence, of which I was completely lacking. A good "Plan B" would have been to ask around until I learned her name, and then to find a friend in common to introduce us. A bit indirect and inefficient, but still a viable alternative. Didn't try that either.

Instead, I just decided that each day I would sit a little closer to her. And I did. And after about a month we were sitting at the same table (fortunately she always sat in the same place). And within another month I was sitting directly across from her (has the term "stalking" come to mind yet?). And I still hadn't said a word to her.

Finally, after several months, I got up the nerve to speak to her. And I was amazed because Mary, the girl with the "stop-traffic" good looks, was as nice as she was pretty. She had an incredibly sweet disposition. She was a very special person. 

We did not date in high school, but we were friends for those last two years. We did date once after my second year in college, and I never  saw her after that. But I have never forgotten how nice she was to me at such an awkward time in my life.

Footnote: This is actually the second tribute I have written to Mary, having accidently erased the first one. But in the intervening time period, I have communicated with Mary's sister Christine, who graduated from Annandale in 1970. Christine has graciously provided us with some of her memories of Mary, as well as two photographs.

Just as I ended my previous tribute, I invite those of you who knew Mary better than me to share your memories.


08/21/11 04:35 PM #2    

Gregory Porter

From Christine Spriggs:

Mary was a kind, fun and engaged person. Major news events of the day were always exciting to Mary. If an interesting hearing or trial was news, Mary was there. Back in the 70's she inspired and motivated our group to attend the Watergate hearings. You had to wait in long lines to get a seat but that was a part of the fun with Mary. Afterward, we would hit Luigi's for pizza before heading home. I fondly remember the priceless look on Mary's face after she heard some juicy testimony at the Marv Albert trial.

She loved the theatre and traveling. Just out of high school she worked at the Kennedy Center in the finance department and made extensive use of the free tickets benefit. For years she enjoyed season tickets to the Shakespeare Theatre downtown. That always meant dinner at a fine DC restaurant before the show.

Mary frequently traveled all over the United States and Europe, researching attractions ahead of time so nothing would be missed. Taking a trip with Mary was always fun and unpredictable. She tried to get me to tour Alcatraz with her but I would have none of that claustrophobic prison environment. That evening she came back with the most fascinating stories; I was in "lockup" at Alcatraz the next day.

Mary wanted her 50th birthday celebration to be a NYC group outing for a few days of sightseeing and to take in a Broadway play. It wasn't to be. When cancer took Mary at 49 it was an enormous loss to her family and friends.

The picture I have included is of Mary standing on Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska.  


10/18/11 07:43 PM #3    

Kathleen O'Day (LaCross)

My heart skipped a beat when I first learned a little earlier this year, from this website, that Mary had passed away.  Mary was my best friend in high school....we both attended St. Michael's and started to grow close probably in 7th or 8th grade.  Unfortunately, we drifted apart after high school, I moved alot (ultimately to California), and we just lost touch.  It is really hard to believe that Mary is gone, that I won't see her at the reunion, that she was so very young when cancer took her life.  I'm very, very saddened.

Thank you Christine for all you wrote about her, and I would love to catch up with you one day to learn more.  I am flooded with memories of my times with Mary.  I smoked my first cigarette with her, sitting on a log over a creek in a little park somewhere between her house and downtown Annandale (it happened to be my last as well).  Just about every day after school we would ride our bikes up to Annandale and walk into Drug Fair (?) and order up  french fries and cherry cokes to eat at the soda counter in the back.  During the summers, we lived for the Friday night dances at the Broyhill Crest rec pool, where they would drain the baby pool and a live band would perform.  It was a great place to meet boys, and I remember how raw our feet would become from dancing on the rough pool bottom.  We'd double date and trade notes afterwards.  She was one of 9 kids (good Catholic family), I was one of 7, so I think we "got" each other.  She also accepted me for who I was, a real geek and goody two-shoes.  She & her sister finally got me to lighten up the summer after high school graduation and smoke my first joint (though could never understand why I never got high, even after many tries that summer.....yes, I did get the concept of inhaling). We did a lot of just hanging out together over those awkward years of adolescense, together sharing those formative, intense years we all experience in high school.   Yes, you're right, Mary was very sweet, alot of fun, and a good friend.  I treasure the memories.


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