Mary Knox Terrell died on April 13, 2020 after a rapid decline at Wolcott Hall, in Torrington, CT. She was born on January 17,1924, to Thomas J. Knox and Bridie (Mahoney) Knox of Litchfield.
She is survived by daughter Patricia Terrell Collins of Cornwall Bridge; son-in-law Matthew Collins; and granddaughters Alexandra Collins Naor of Israel; Annelise Starr Collins of Cornwall Bridge; and also, Natalie and Thomas Terrell, and many nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by sons Bruce Terrell of Miami, Michael Terrell of Atlanta, and her sisters Kay Daley, Gene Kish, Pat Kent, and brother Tommy.
Mary was the oldest of five siblings, the only one to be born in a hospital and the first of her family to attend college. Her years at New Haven State Teachers College coincided with World War II and the excitement of big bands and boys in uniform at the USO. Once while working at the Y, she shook hands with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. After graduation, Mary was a first grade teacher in Cheshire, CT. She met and married her husband, Bruce, and ten months later she was a mom. With two more kids and a new business they moved to Miami, FL, where she lived until the early 1980’s when she moved back to Litchfield to care for her ailing mother. Although she loved raising her family in Miami, her heart was always in Litchfield. Mary’s biggest joy was children. She loved watching her two granddaughters Alie and Annelise grow up, and they adored their Grammie.
Mary enjoyed sports, whether her bowling league in Miami, daily swimming laps at home, or watching her sons play Little League. She was a huge UCONN basketball fan, and knew all the stats for the Red Sox. Mary was known to many in Litchfield as she walked daily on South Street to get her mail and sometimes visit the library. On Sundays, she walked to St. Anthony’s. A surgery didn’t even slow her down. After a few weeks she was back to walking uptown again. It seemed nothing could stop her, until one morning she fell down her stairs, breaking both wrists, and suffering a life-changing head injury. Her family would like to thank the loving staff at Rose Haven in Litchfield who took such good care of her for five years until sadly, in 2019, the facility had to close down.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August 10, 2020 at 11:30 am at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 49 South Street, Litchfield. Burial will follow in St. Anthony Cemetery. Due to the pandemic, face masks and social distancing are required.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Litchfield Education Foundation, P.O. Box 874, Litchfield, CT 06759.