Mary Huntting Runyon Obaidy of Centreville, Va. died peacefully on Nov. 5, 2022. She was 86.

She was born in New York on March 12, 1936 to Frances McIver and Paul Mefford Runyon. After attending finishing school in Switzerland, she graduated from Wheelock College with a degree in childhood education. She went on to receive her master’s degree from Columbia University.

During her career she taught English to Moroccan children in Tangiers, Egyptian children in Cairo and most recently over Skype to students in Korea.

Throughout her life she sought to both learn and teach while traveling the world. She visited the former Soviet Union during the Cold War and many countries in Europe, the Middle East and South America.

She was honored to represent the U.S. Episcopal Church on a visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank to learn more about the needs of Christians in Palestine. She was grateful to have the opportunity to share her experience in a presentation to parishioners at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown.

Martha’s Vineyard was a special place for Mary, starting with the summers she enjoyed with her family when she was young. Her grandfather, Dr. Mefford Runyon, owned three houses and two bungalows in Edgartown in the 1920s. Mary spent her early visits in what the family called “the Water street house” and later in a house at the end of Pierce Lane.

She was nine in the late summer of 1945. While she played on the beach in Edgartown, people suddenly began running down the beach shouting, “The War Is Over! The War is Over!” Japan had just surrendered to end World War II. Mary soon found herself riding in the back of her sister’s truck, joining the whole Island as they drove through the streets, honking their horns and celebrating a moment in history.

She cherished the memories of swimming, sailing and biking in Edgartown and water skiing in Katama Bay, continuing those pursuits for most of her life. She also shared her love of music. While on the Vineyard, Mary often played the piano at St. Andrew’s Church on rainy days to entertain her young nieces.

She was grateful that her older sister Helen (Bunny) Cameron and her husband Steele Cameron summered on the Vineyard, allowing her to visit the Island. Over most of her years, she continued to visit her nieces, their families and special Vineyard friends every summer.

During each trip she would attend a Sunday service at St. Andrew’s Church and make annual visits to the Flying Horses, Murdick’s and Mad Martha’s. She looked forward to her favorite Vineyard foods such as swordfish and, for dessert, blueberry pie from the Scottish Bakehouse.

She had a deep passion for animals, especially dogs and cats. Throughout her life she routinely adopted rescue dogs and provided them with love and a stable environment.

Mary will be dearly missed by her surviving family members, including her nephew Charles Seltman and his wife Kathryn Seltman, nieces Isabel Frances Seltman, Elizabeth Cameron Chadwick and her husband John Chadwick, Dorie Cameron and her husband Rick Felty, and Holly Cameron Edwards. She also leaves behind seven grandnieces and nephews who loved her deeply.

She frequently said that she was so lucky to have such a supportive family. Her family feels they were lucky to have her.

Mary’s kindness, love of life, and compassion for her family, friends, and animals, combined with her dedication to teaching, will forever be cherished in memory by all who knew her.

A celebration of life will take place on Tuesday, May 30 at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown. For more information about the service, contact Rick Felty at felty@aol.com.