Mary Ann Foutz

Mary Ann Foutz, 86, of Colonial Beach, my beautiful wife and best friend of 52 years, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones at the home of our daughter. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Murray Pierce; parents; brother, George Woods; sister, Margaret Gray; stepdaughter, Marlene Pierce; and grandson, Brandon Pierce. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Butch Foutz; daughters, Anne Marie Goodman; Christine (Tim) Wilkinson; Michelle (Ronnie) Nuckols; stepson, Bart (Coralee) Pierce; stepson, Lee (Michelle) Foutz; sister, Rita Woods; grandchildren, Garett Wilkinson; Tyler (Belle) Wilkinson; Hunter Wilkinson; Lindsey (Stuart) Brown; Kelsey (James) Walsh; Rachel Pierce; Matthew (Lane) Pierce; Josh (Iris) Pierce; Jeremy (Mary Jane) Foutz; great-grandchildren, Tanith; Gavin; Hudson; Walker; Brune; Izzy; Sean; Sully; and many nieces and nephews. Mary Ann was born and raised in Washington, D.C., living at the orphanage, St. Vincent’s Home for Girls. She was an avid athlete growing up, sports enthusiast and a life-long Washington Redskins fan. She was a lifeguard when the home took them to summer retreats on the Chesapeake Bay. Playing on the Immaculate Conception High School softball team, she lost her High School ring.    Her first summer job after high school was at the AFLCIO Political Department, after which she went to work on Capitol Hill for a congressman from New Jersey. She quickly rented an apartment so she could bring her baby sister home from the orphanage. When the Congressman lost re-election, she went to work for Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. When he decided to run for the Senate, he sent (no good deed goes unpunished) her to Charleston to open his campaign office. Mary Ann spent two weeks opening that office, returned home and resigned. She was a D. C. native. Charleston was a third world country (in her mind)! Need I say more? Quickly finding a job with the Operating Engineers International Union in D.C., she met her first husband, Murray Pierce, an Operating Engineers Business Manager and political activist from Norfolk Virginia and a widower with two pre-teens. Mary Ann married Murray, moving to Virginia Beach in 1959 where they had three daughters. In 1967, Murray suddenly passed away at home. She was then mother of five.   In 1969, Mary Ann was the volunteer coordinator for the Henry Howell campaign for Governor of Virginia. Fate brought me, a union activist, to work in Norfolk. It was only natural that we would meet and it was love at first sight. We married in 1970. Although Henry was not successful in 69, we continued with other Liberals through the 70’s to work to rid the Harry Byrd Democratic Party of the racist’s that controlled the party. That we eventually succeeded was one of her proudest accomplishments and there were many. We moved to Richmond in 1976 and during that period of time she worked for the VA State Building Trades Council and the Carpenters Local Union. Mary Ann was a delegate to the 72 Democratic Convention in Miami, 74 Rules Convention in Kansas City and 76 Convention in NYC, where Jimmy Carter was nominated for President. We were at what turned out for real to be a Victory party (we did not have many) for Carter, when she said “if that turkey can get elected President. I can quit smoking”. She quit cold turkey. As I moved around with different Union positions leaving Richmond for NYC in 1982, she landed a job as the Executive Assistant to the Treasurer at the largest privately held real estate company in the USA. When I transferred to D. C. in 1989 to go to work for the AFL-CIO Political Department (where she started her career), she landed a job as Executive Assistant to the President of the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia in Baltimore. She always landed on her feet. Always! She worked until age 67 in order to pay for the beach house we bought in 1995, to which we retired in 2003. She enjoyed watching the sun as it set over the river behind our house with her favorite cocktail: Tanqueray and tonic. She loved to travel, so it only seemed fitting to spoil our grandkids by taking them on many memorable trips. She was the queen of dominoes and solitaire and the master of jigsaw puzzles on both the dining room table and her i pad. A Celebration of Life will be held on January 21, 2023, at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in the Kelly Education Center, Massey Conference Center Auditorium at 11:00 AM with a reception to follow. Condolences to Weldon-Fisher Funeral Services. Memorial contributions may be made to the Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, 225 Dennison St. Colonial Beach VA 22443.

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