MAUREEN MARY (MARY) Passed away on July 24 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born Dec. 5, 1946, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, her nomadic spirit led her to live in many parts of the United States, but La Crosse was always home. Mary was a woman of multiple talents and strong convictions about social justice. While still in High School, she borrowed money to travel alone on a Grayhound bus to Alabama and walked in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. Mary earned a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Indiana University. She was a creator and co-owner of the very successful "Collective Fantasy," an innovative fine arts movie theatre in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In later years, Mary recognized a talent working with teenagers. She taught herself Calculus at the age of sixty, and returned to school to earn teacher certification and a Masters Degree in Math. She worked for several years in Ft. Wingate, New Mexico on the Navajo Indian Reservation and most recently was a math teacher to mothers and pregnant teens at New Futures High School in Albuquerque. Mary had a sensitive, discriminating appreciation for all the arts. Wherever she lived, she created vegetable and flower gardens, and loved to sit in the sun, reading and writing. She was a talented wordsmith and kept a personal journal of observations about books and the vagaries of life. One of the last entries, in March, after realizing the full seriousness of her illness, was a quote by Louisa May Alcott: "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." We love Mary very much and wish her smooth sailing. Mary is survived by her beloved partner, Suzanne Blanchet of Albuquerque; brother Steven Hether of Albuquerque; sister Christine Hether of Maui, Hawaii; sister Connie Hether of La Crosse, Wisconsin, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends. A Celebration of Life will be held in the summer of 2012 in La Crosse.
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