Woodstock, Vermont

Mary B. Keith was born at 6:00 p.m., October 23, 1932, at Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire. Born to parents Windsor County Clerk George C. Brockway and pianist and music teacher Marion M. Brockway, Mary Lou Brockway first traveled from the hospital to her cherished lifelong home on Woodstock Road in Woodstock, Vermont by train.

When she was just ten years old, Mary lost her beloved mother to cancer. In the ensuing years, Mary went on with determination and courage, pursuing her education and interests in her treasured hometown of Woodstock. A gifted musician, Mary played piano in a dance band, performing at proms and student dances, and played trumpet in the high school band. She loved ice-skating at the town green. She worked at the Woodstock Inn as an elevator operator. In 1950, Mary was named valedictorian of the Woodstock Union High School valedictorian graduating class.

In 1952, Mary graduated from Becker Junior College in western Massachusetts. She then started work at Worcester County National Bank. As it happens, it also first day of work there as another employee—Theodore K. Keith. In 1955, Mary married Ted Keith. They had three children and sixty-five happy years together before Ted passed away in 2021.

Mary was devoted to her family. Whether filling the house with the sound of her piano music, with aromas of good food, or with laughter, Mary created a warm, loving home She was a mother who instilled in her children the values of independence, integrity, determination, and kindness, and a wife who encouraged and supported her husband. A lifelong devout Catholic, Mary instilled in her family the values of faith, grace, and generosity of spirit. She kept family spirits high with positivity, wisdom, and a touch of humor through eight household moves in twenty years.

In 1982, Ted and Mary started their own business, which continues to this day. Mary worked side by side with Ted, building the company and fostering its growth.

Mary loved bringing the family together, whether at her Woodstock home or Mary and Ted's second home on Cape Cod. Be it a one-on-one conversation or holiday dinner for extended family, Mary's concern was always for the well-being of others.

Through her life, Mary had many adored animal companions, and to many more animals, she was the unseen hand of rescue, including as an avid supporter of locally based Potter's Angels.

As a mother, sister, employer, or friend, Mary was known for her kindness, patience, the Vermont common-sense wisdom she had learned from her father, the love of beauty she had learned from her mother, and the determination and hopefulness she drew from her faith and her own difficult journey.

Mary loved her children and animal companions. She loved music and continued playing piano to the end of her life. She loved keeping in touch with friends and classmates. And Mary loved her sixty-five-year adventure with Ted, whom she called the kindest person, along with her dear father.

Mary is survived by sister Katrina Brockway Bianchi; son Ted Keith, Jr.; daughter Molly Keith and her long-time friend Claire Porter; daughter Marilyn Keith Daly and her husband Christopher Daly; granddaughter Melissa, her husband Ray Petraska, granddaughter Mary, her husband Jordan Chadwick, granddaughter Laura and her partner Robert Paquet, and five great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Frederick Keith, his wife Jan and nephew and nieces.

The family would like to warmly thank the many household and nursing staff over the years who helped make Mary's final years enjoyable and enabled her to remain in the home that was a constant in her life.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Sunday, November 26, 1:00pm at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Woodstock. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery. Calling hours will be Saturday, November 25, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock.

The family is being assisted by the Cabot Funeral Home. An online guest book can be found at cabotfh.com