Mary Conner

Mary Robinson Conner, age 78, of Accokeek, MD, died peacefully on April 17, 2009, at the Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Mandarin House, of complications with diabetes and ovarian cancer. On April 11th, she and her husband had celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. Born November 29, 1930 in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter and eldest child of the late Frank A. Robinson and the late Elizabeth Bourne Robinson of Ferndale Farm in Brandywine, MD. She spent her formative years on the family farm and was educated in the Prince Georges County School System, attending Brandywine Elementary School and graduating with Gwynn Park High School’s Class of 1949. She then attended Prince Georges Community College and the University of Rouen (France). In April of 1951, she became the bride of Timothy J. Conner. The two had met in the 6th grade and had become engaged on Christmas Eve, 1950. In the fall of 1951, she joined him in Paris for a short honeymoon, before continuing on to Rhein/Main AB in Frankfurt, Germany. The couple spent the next few months exploring Germany and learning to live on the German economy with trips to Bavaria and Heidelberg. A few months later, the received orders to transfer to a new duty station at Bordeaux, France where she was the first American dependent assigned to the base. Her smile and friendly manner made her a natural diplomat and wherever the family went, she rapidly made friends, many of whom became lifelong friends. Her facility with languages led to fluency in German, French, Spanish, and Arabic. They spent part of each year in foreign countries. She was the former Regent of the NSDAR’s Thirteen Colonies Chapter and the Genealogical Records Chairman of the DCDAR. Later, she transferred to the John Hanson Chapter in Prince Frederick, MD where she served as the National Defense Chairman for many years. She was also a member of the Magna Carta Dames and many genealogical organizations. She enjoyed music, reading, and art work. A devout lifelong Episcopalian, she enjoyed working with the choirs, organizing and teaching Sunday School, and being a member of the Women’s groups.

Mary Conner

November 29, 1930 - April 17, 2009