Dracut, Mary Byrne Fawkner Chase of Dracut, MA died peacefully on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at Sawtelle Family Hospice House at the age of 67. Ms. Chase was born in Springfield, MA, on January 25, 1950. Her father was Charles Hibbard Fawkner and her mother was Margaret Mary Byrne Fawkner. Ms. Chase was raised in South Amherst from the time she was three. As a young woman she was known for her love of music and her talent for singing and playing the guitar. She loved to read and talk about anything and everything. She also enjoyed vacations with her family on Cape Cod.

In 1979, Mary joined the Navy attaining the rank of Yeoman. She was among the first women to serve on an aircraft carrier. In 1993, where was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier CV-67 John F. Kennedy. She and four women slept in the Mass Casualty section of the Medical Department because at that time the US Navy did not have rooms for women. She served in the Naval Reserves stationed at South Weymouth Naval Air Station through 1996. She was a licensed private pilot and treasured the times she was able to fly. Later in life, she also was an avid bird watcher and photographer, with particular love of birds of prey: peregrine falcons, eagles and owls. She also loved cats and dogs and would always say hello to any that came her way. Her lifelong love of travel and adventure took her across the country and abroad to Mexico and Canada and Europe, with some of her favorite trips being those she took alone to England and Germany. She was a clever, kind, and gracious woman with a strong spirit. She was always ready to learn something new and never stopped being curious about the world around her. Anyone who knew her knew her as a loving and open-hearted person and she will be greatly missed by all.

 Ms. Chase is survived by her children, Robert Paul Chase of Malden, MA, and Diana Chase Devereaux of Carrboro, NC. She is predeceased by her brother James Whitefield Fawkner and survived by two of her siblings, Katherine Elinor Bowes of Mexico City and Charles Roosa Fawkner, of Millbury, MA.

 Private funeral services for family members Friday, December 29th at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, MA. Burial will follow in the South Amherst Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Lord Jeffrey Hotel, 30 Boltwood Ave. Amherst, MA.