Mary Rita Gray Reimer, formerly of Guilford, passed away at the remarkable age of 97 on Jan. 9 in Lexington, Kentucky. Mary’s loving husband of nearly 44 years, Richard Reimer, preceded her in death on Oct. 20, 2001. Mary was born on Dec. 10, 1925, in New Haven to John Francis and Margaret Marie Gray (née Rodican), both originally of County Leitrim, Ireland.

Mary’s mother immigrated to the United States on the RMS Teutonic in 1906, surviving the week-long voyage in the squalid conditions of steerage to escape the abject poverty in her homeland. Mary’s father suffered the devastating emotional and physical abuses of the cruel stigma of left-handedness throughout his childhood. He was ultimately cast out by his own family and sent to America, enduring the voyage in steerage on the RMS Baltic in 1909. Both of Mary’s parents were just teenagers at the time.

Mary was raised during the Great Depression and experienced its profound socioeconomic hardships, which greatly impacted the already impoverished Irish immigrant households of the time. She would recount her challenging childhood experiences to her children, who learned to appreciate their mother’s dedication to ensuring a secure and stable home environment, all the while supporting their independence. With the Great Depression not yet over, Mary’s mother enrolled her in a trade school, anticipating that she could find employment as a secretary. Mary would have preferred to have attended a high school with an academic curriculum, yet she understood that economic uncertainties dictated otherwise. After graduating from Commercial High School in 1943, Mary was hired by a brokerage firm but continued to seek out other opportunities. After scoring well on a rigorous pre-employment test for a highly competitive administrative assistant position, Mary, a “leftie” like her father, was hired by the FBI. While working for the FBI’s Indianapolis branch, Mary enrolled in evening courses at the University of Indiana in the hope of obtaining a college degree. Several years later, she transferred to the FBI’s New Haven branch to be back in her hometown.

On July 4, 1957, at Owenego Beach in Branford, Mary met her future husband, Richard Reimer. Richard and Mary were married on Nov. 14, 1957, and started a family the following year, raising their four children, Johanna, Marga, Richard, and Patrick, in their new hometown of Guilford. While raising her two young daughters, Mary resumed her college education at the University of New Haven, graduating with high honors in 1962, the only woman in her class. Mary’s college education was appreciated by her four children as she enthusiastically helped them with their homework throughout their grade school and high school years. Mary later became an invaluable editorial sounding board during their college and postgraduate endeavors. When Mary’s youngest child, Patrick, a leftie like herself and her father, showed signs of dyslexia in the third grade, Mary ensured that he was provided with the tutoring and mentoring necessary to successfully navigate the challenges of his dyslexia. As with all her children, Mary strongly encouraged and fully supported Patrick’s involvement in extra-curricular activities. In 1979, after her first two children had completed high school, Mary earned her master’s degree in special education from Southern Connecticut State University. This enabled her to help other children with learning disabilities and to contribute to her own children’s college expenses. During the ensuing 20 years, Mary developed a reputation as a highly effective, devoted, and empathic tutor for those struggling with dyslexia and other learning challenges.

Mary’s other passions included cooking and making homemade bread for family and friends, flower and herb gardening, planning memorable family vacations, hosting play-reading parties, tuning in to Masterpiece Theater, and enjoying plays at Long Wharf Theatre. Mary especially loved welcoming her adult children and their friends, including their various pets (ranging from Labrador retrievers to snakes!), when they came to visit the family home.

Mary retired from her beloved career as an educational therapist in 1999 to care for her ailing husband until his passing in 2001. Mary spent the remainder of her retirement visiting her children, who found successful and fulfilling careers across the United States. She also explored different countries through Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, an American not-for-profit organization focused on educational travel programs for older adults. Mary moved to Lexington in 2013 to be near her eldest daughter, where her other children, her grandchildren, and her sister often visited her.

Mary is survived by her sister Peggy (Margaret Christina) Gray of Branford; her daughters, Dr. Johanna Marie Reimer, a veterinary cardiologist of Georgetown, Kentucky, and Professor Marga Reimer of the University of Arizona’s Department of Philosophy, Tucson; her sons, Dr. Richard John Reimer, associate professor of neurology at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and Patrick Gray Reimer, recently retired principal in the New York City Department of Education, who, like his left-handed mother, holds a master’s degree in special education. Mary could not have been prouder when Patrick earned his second master’s degree in educational leadership. Mary is also survived by her three grandchildren, Ingrid Evelyn Eck, Caillin Sussman Reimer, and Teigan Reimer-Tatistcheff.

In lieu of flowers, Mary’s family suggests memorial donations be made to the International Dyslexia Association, 1829 Reisterstown Road Suite 350, Pikesville, MD 21208, (410) 296-0232; dyslexiada.org.

A memorial Mass was held on Oct. 11 at St. George Catholic Church in Guilford. Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford, is in charge of arrangements.