Amherst, Mary Catlin, of Amherst, MA, died peacefully on Thursday, January 29, 2015 after a long illness.

Mary was born in 1937 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to Mannie and Frannie Higgins. Mary moved to Erie, PA with her mother and father, and younger brother James, in 1945. Mary spent her Junior High School and High School years in Erie, where she enjoyed many an adventure with her friend Jeanie.  The stories of these adventures were always prefaced with “don’t do as I did”, such as crossing a ravine on a narrow pipe.  While still in high school, Mary met Don, whom she would marry in 1961. Don and Mary celebrated their 53^rd anniversary in September of 2014.

Mary graduated from Strong Vincent High School in 1955, and graduated from Penn State University in 1959, with a BS degree in Biology. After graduating from Penn State, Mary moved to Philadelphia and worked at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School. After she and Don married in 1961, they moved to Gainesville, Florida so that Don could pursue his Doctorate in Mathematics. While in Florida, Mary worked at the University of Florida Medical School, in the Allergies Department of the Pediatrics Research Lab.  Her son Jeffrey was born in 1964. Mary, Don and Jeff moved up to Amherst in 1965. Mary’s daughter Jennifer was born in 1968.

After staying at home to raise her children during their younger years, Mary began working at Amherst High School in the Social Studies and Guidance departments as an aide. She worked there until retiring in 1991. After retiring, Mary was able to travel with her husband, friends, children and grandchildren. She traveled to Alaska, Russia, and finally to Australia and New Zealand, in addition to more domestic locales such as Disney World and Las Vegas. She enjoyed spending time with her four grandsons, who kept her busy from the time they were little until they were taller than she.

Mary is survived by her husband of 53 years, Don, her son Jeffrey and his wife Andrea; her daughter Jennifer and her husband Larry Burcroff; her grandsons Scott, Tyler, Nathaniel and Jacob; her brother Jimmy; and her niece Pamela and nephews “J” and Tod.

Mary was a kind and wonderful person, and will be missed by all who knew her. She was generous and supportive, and always ready with a laugh and smile. She was loved dearly and will be missed.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, February 4^th at 10:30 am at the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst, MA.  Calling hours will precede the service from 9:00 AM until 10:30 AM at the Douglass Funeral Service. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.