A Family Funeral Home

Mary Carrington

June 30, 1934 - September 12, 2022
Mount Pleasant, WI

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Service

Saturday, October 1, 2022
11:00 AM CDT
Live Stream
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church
6400 Spring Street
Racine, WI 53406

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

AAUW Racine Scholarship Fund
Web Site

South Shore Fire Department
Web Site

Mt. Pleasant Police Department
Web Site

Canine Companions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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A trailblazer for women in the community, Mary Carrington, 88, dedicated her life to government and community organizations. She passed away peacefully in Wheaton, IL on September 12, 2022, where she resided near her family in recent years. Mary dedicated her life to education, government and her love of animals and flowers.

Having a Phd in Spanish, she taught at Univ of Wisconsin-Parkside along with her husband, Richard Carrington. Mary often utilized her language skills in speaking with local residents during her time in government. She was an active member of AAUW for many years and encouraged women to take on leadership roles in their community. Mary believed that through knowledge came the ability to understand all perspectives and the fortitude to work towards a common goal.

As the second woman to be elected to the Racine County Board member in 1966, she started her 25 year career in local government and community organizations. Mary was elected to the Mt Pleasant Town Board in 1975 and served as Chairperson for many years. She believed in fostering relationships with not only the residents, but valued the town employees for their dedication. She often would bake and share a turkey dinner with the firefighters and bring homemade cookies to the police department. Because of her love of animals, she initiated the first K9 unit for the town. Beyond government, Mary was involved in many local health and business associations. In 1988, the governor appointed her to the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council. She was a Paul Harris Fellow for Racine Rotary. In 2021, the Village of Mt Pleasant honored Mary’s service to the community with the naming of a new road, Carrington Blvd, located just off of Hwy 20 near I-94. She was incredibly touched by the generosity of the village’s leadership.

Mary owned Carma Farms in Racine, which grew and supplied gladiolus and snapdragons to many florists in town. In addition, Mary was an avid horselover owning her first horse when she was 14 years old. As a teenager, she placed first at the Wisconsin State Fair in barrel racing. She loved working her farm, enjoying her horses and spending quiet time with her many cats and dogs. When visitors came, they would usually find her in the garden, in the barn or mowing the lawn.

Mary is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Christina Carrington Riley and Brian Riley of Glen Ellyn, IL and her granddaughters, Megan Riley of London, England and Morgan Riley of Chicago, IL. Her husband, Richard Carrington, preceded her in death in 1989.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to AAUW Racine Scholarship Fund, South Shore Fire Department, Mt. Pleasant Police Department and Canine Companions.

A public funeral mass will be held at St Paul’s the Apostle Catholic Church in Mt Pleasant at 11am on October 1. The community may also pay their respects to the family after the mass at the church.

The funeral will be live streamed and may be viewed on Facebook: St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church Racine.