Mary J. Anderson

Mary J. Anderson, 77, of Caroline County died Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at her home.Born on Halloween 1937 in Winchester TX, Mary never stopped going her entire life. She was an active member of each community she was a part of during her life. She grew up between Texas and Louisiana on the oil coast; her parents were Roy Jorgensen and Nellie Joyce. Mary entered Louisiana State University in 1955 on an academic scholarship and tried to major in chemical engineering but was denied as that was not proper. So she got a BS, MS, and PhD in Mathematics from LSU; teaching along the way. She was the seventh woman to receive a PHD in math from LSU.She changed people's lives as a teacher at Mississippi State University; she went on to become a valued engineering manager at Exxon/Mobil in Denver, CO and Midland, TX. She retired in 1995 and moved to Charlottesville, VA to be near her family. She was on the Board of Lake Monticello, and Lake Land'Or Owner's Associations which eventually led to her election to the school board of Caroline county. She was always passionate about education and fiscal responsibility and Mary felt the need to get involved with and help the local kids.She was always moving, whether working in the garden or traveling the world. And she was always happy to share her experiences with others. Her hobbies included reading, gardening, motor cycle riding, sail boating, and horseback riding.She is survived by five children, Dr. John Anderson and his wife, Debbie, and their sons Bobby and Tommy Anderson; Gail Calvert Raper and her husband, John, and their daughters Alex and Abbie Raper; Steven Calvert and his wife, Letha; Chris Calvert and his wife, Letitia, and their sons, William and Hayden Calvert; and Shawn Wilkinson and his wife Frances, and their daughters Susan and Harper Wilkinson. She recently lost her husband, Steve Wilkinson. She will be missed.A celebration of life will take place from 3 to 7pm Saturday, October 31 at the Lake Land'Or Heritage Clubhouse.