Obituary of Mary-Ellen Libby

LIBBY, Mary Ellen (Rivard) Passed away on the morning of July 4, 2009. Mary was born in Detroit, MI, on Nov. 30, 1922, the second daughter of Wilfred and Ann Rivard and younger sister of Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Rivard Spall, of Charlotte, NC. A graduate of the Navy (WAVES) Officer training program at Smith College in Northampton, MA, she became an ensign and later achieved the rank of Lieutenant, J.G. Her first assignment was at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. This city was the location of the meeting of her future husband, Navy Chief Richard "Dick" Lawrence Libby, who happened to share the same bus route. They were married on Sept. 14, 1946. Mary finished her degree at George Washington University with a B.S. in Mathematics. She and Richard, with their family, lived in Rome, NY and Bedford, MA, before retiring to their home in Highland Lakes, Palm Harbor, a nexus for many happy gatherings of their large family for over 20 years. She is survived by her husband, sister, and five children: Karen Ann Franklin of Jacksonville, Wilfred Daniel "Dan" Libby of Punta Gorda, Nancy Jean McCarthy of Largo, John Gordon Libby of Carlisle, MA, and Mark Andrew Libby of Sudbury, MA, along with five children-in-law; 11 grandchildren; three grandchildren-in-law, four great-grandchildren; three nieces and a nephew.A service to celebrate Mary's life will be held for her family and friends on Saturday, Aug. 8th, at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. Interment will be at Bay Pines National Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Suncoast Hospice.