Mary Davis Barber, of Brookline, MA, died on July 2, 2023. She was 94. Mary grew up in New York City and attended Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She studied at the University of Rochester.

Mary worked as an interior designer after moving to Boston, and married Louis Barber, a lighting engineer. They were married for 21 years and had three children.

In her thirties, Mary returned to finish her B.A. at Boston University and also earned an M.A. in Education. She completed a second M.A. in Children's Literature at Simmons University. She taught second grade for fifteen years at the John Winthrop School in Roxbury, where she shared her enthusiasm for books and reading with her beloved students and strengthened ties between the school and the community.

She imparted her lifelong love of making things to her children. Her daughter Susan (Suzette) is a graphic designer, artist, and illustrator. Jennifer is a writer and editor. Benjamin is a mechanical engineer and inventor. Mary pursued her own creativity with print-making, jewelry-making, and photography, settling on stained glass as her final medium. Her artwork reflected her deep appreciation of the natural world.

She traveled widely, to Australia, India, China, Iceland, and the Ivory Coast, among other destinations. She saw whales up close in the Baja Peninsula; snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef; and sat surrounded by inquisitive penguins on Macquarie Island.

She created special memories for her four grandchildren by taking each one of them on their own trip, to the Galápagos Islands, San Diego, Alaska, and the Canadian Pacific Northwest. Each time she traveled, she formed new friendships, in addition to her many strong friendships in the U.S.

Mary is survived by Susan, Jennifer, and Benjamin; their respective spouses, Cyrus Whittier, Peter Brown, and Nan Barber; and her grandchildren Jeffrey Brown, Andrew Whittier and his partner Kim Micciche, Zoe Brown and her fiancé Christopher Restaino, and Mia Whittier.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.