Obituary of Mary Victoria Griswold

Mary Vic Griswold passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, October 9th, at her home in Plainfield. Mary Victoria Griswold was born May 3rd, 1910, in Plainfield, NJ the daughter of Helen Coburn and Horace Nathaniel Stevens. She attended the Hartridge School and graduated from Smith College in 1932, spending her Junior Year Abroad studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. After graduation she worked as a lab technician at the New York Hospital before marrying Dr. Merton L. Griswold in 1937. Her interests included pottery, gardening and bird watching. She was an active member of the Watchung Nature Club and traveled with her husband all over the world to observe wildlife on Audubon-sponsored trips: Africa, Central America, Canada and Antarctica to name a few. She was a lifelong member of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield. She also volunteered at the Interfaith Council for the Homeless (now Home First), Neighborhood House, the Golden Age Club, Friends of the Library, Literacy Volunteers of America, and most recently as Honorary Chairman for the Plainfield Library Capital Fund Drive. She also enjoyed reading and was a member of the Shakespeare Club for many years. She will be remembered for her generosity of spirit; her down-to-earth common sense; her love of nature; her ability to take pleasure in small things; her profound strength of character and not least, her laughter. Surviving are her children Ann of London, England; Peter and his wife Joanne of Nutley, NJ and Vicky of Plainfield; her grandchildren Keith and Germaine; her Stevens nieces and nephew; her daughters in spirit, Yuriko Nakashima, Lyn Bonde and Alison Matthews; her helpers Prudence Joseph, Judette Aubourg, Mae Chisolm, Chris Langston and Ann Wilson and many, many loving hearts. Memorial Services will be held at the First Unitarian Society, 724 Park Avenue in Plainfield at noon on Saturday, October 13th. A gathering will be held on Friday at Higgins Home for Funerals in Plainfield from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Plainfield Public Library, 800 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060; or to Home First, 905 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07061; or the Smith College Scholarship Fund, Stoddard Hall, 33 Elm St., Northampton, MA 01063. To send condolences visit www.higginsfuneralhome.com.