Mary R. Call

Mary R. Call, age 82, of Churchville, MD passed away on April 13, 2019 at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, MD. Born in Cortland, NY, she was the daughter of the late Carmen and Vincenza (D'Amato) Ricottilli. Mary is survived by her husband of 57 years, John “Jack” A. Call. They moved from upstate NY to Bel Air, MD, having fallen in love with the area when Jack played professional football with the Baltimore Colts in 1957-58.

Mary’s passion was teaching children – spending three years at Carroll Manor Elementary School and over 20 years at Dublin Elementary School, in addition to a few years in Cortland, NY and Long Island, NY. She attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from SUNY-Cortland, and two Master Degrees in Education from SUNY- Cortland and Loyola University. During the early years of their marriage, Mary enjoyed spending summers with her husband in Cape Cod, MA, painting the coastline. Mary then pursued her interest in antiques, collecting them up and down the East Coast and selling them at their antique shop in Delaware. After 36 years of teaching, Jack and Mary both retired and traveled the world together – enjoying winters in Mexico, with trips to Israel, Greece, Costa Rica, and to her parent’s hometown in Italy. Soon after retirement, Mary’s passion turned to spending every available moment with her three cherished granddaughters – teaching them the art of gourmet cooking. Anything that could be enjoyed at a restaurant, Mary would deconstruct and then prepare at home – only always with her own twist that perfected the recipe.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, John (Margaret) J. Call; daughter, Kristin (Sean) B. Carven; granddaughters, Bridgette, Alexandra, and Sarah Carven; and sister, Natalie (Norman) J. Brobst.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Chesapeake Cancer Alliance, P.O. Box 897, Bel Air, MD 21014.