Mary Biggers Stine passed away on May 20, 2016 after a short illness. She was 96.
Mary was the essence of one who had “joie de vivre”; there was no opportunity that she would want to miss and no challenge too great for her to overcome. Starting with her birth on New Year’s Day 1920, she easily captured the jubilance of the “roaring twenties” throughout her 96 years. As the first child of her parents Christina Lillian Hayes and Clarence Ernest Biggers, Mary, along with her siblings, Christina (Sister) , Clarence Joseph (Brother) and Harry, was raised in Atlanta during not only the difficult times of the Great Depression but also without the attention of her mother who suffered from TB and died when she was still young. Despite these hardships, Mary maintained a strong outlook on life and a zest for adventure. One of her earliest memories was dancing the Charleston in a contest at the age of five. She kept on dancing well into her 90’s.
As a girl, Mary excelled academically and was always at the top of her class. In fact, she proudly claimed that she never received a “B”. Mary graduated from Sacred Heart School and received a full academic scholarship to the University of Georgia. Since room and board were not included, she was only able to attend for one year. Showing her perseverance and determination from an early age, Mary returned to Atlanta and continued her education by earning an Associate’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech at a time when women had to attend night classes because regular admission was only offered to males. She then worked as a draftsman at a series of companies; Boeing, AT&T, and the City of Miami Water and Sewer Dept.
She met her husband Carl at work and they married in 1947. More than anything else in life, Mary wanted to be a mother and she committed herself to raising her four children: Susan, Joseph, Christina, and John. She was adamant they receive a Catholic education and that they had the opportunity to do the extras she missed during her childhood. Mary therefore drove her children to many activities including 4H, ballet, art, music, swimming, baseball, sailing, cotillion, and tennis.
She became an engaged member of all the communities to which she belonged. Mary was an active participant in the St Louis Catholic Church in Miami where she served as a sacristan for years and was a member of several clubs. However, one of her most prominent traits was her enjoyment of competition; no one was safe from her clever strategies to win, whether they be on the tennis court or on a bowling league. She found her true joy in playing bridge ultimately becoming a life master. Although she never played golf, she was a great fan of the PGA and often enjoyed the weekends watching golf on television.
She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the English Speaking Union. Mary had an interest in the world and travelled to Europe, the Holy Land, China, and New Zealand.
After many years in Miami, Mary moved to Longwood in 1989 and joined the Village on the Green Community where she was a resident for 27 years. Here she very much enjoyed living life and being with her friends, attending as many social events as she could, especially those where she could dance or wear a costume. Her competitive edge never left her, and Mary particularly liked Wii bowling, line dancing, and bocce ball.
Mary loved her family and enjoyed her time with her eight grandchildren. She travelled frequently to visit with them as they grew up, and the close bond continued when she could no longer travel. Her grandchildren were able to visit her and enjoy her innate sense of fun.