Dr. Mary K. Ray Agnew died peacefully in her sleep at her home in the Pines, Juniper Village in State College, Pennsylvania on Monday, June 3, 2024.
Mary Kathryn Finley Ray Agnew was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 8, 1923, the oldest of two daughters of James Richard Finley and wife, Ida C. Wilson Finley. She grew up in Homewood, Alabama and graduated from Shades Cahaba High School and Howard (now Samford) College where she served as a Biology Laboratory Instructor from 1940 to 1944. While attending college, she met William Jackson Ray, also a student. During his junior year, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. She completed her BS degree in February 1944. They were married in Moultrie, Georgia where he had completed his training as a fighter pilot. In March, a year later, he was called upon to ferry B-24s to Italy as the enemy strikes were intense. During one such trip he was reported missing and later declared deceased.
Mary K. returned to Homewood and accepted a teaching position for the remainder of the school year. On September 3, 1945 their son, William (Bill), was born and they moved, with her family, to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1950 she accepted a position with First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Tuscaloosa and was later promoted to Corporate Assistant Secretary and Loan Officer. During her tenure there she earned an advanced diploma from the US Savings and Loan Institute.
In 1956 she met Norman McKee Agnew, Jr. and they were married April 12, 1957.
In 1967 she was offered, and accepted, a position with the University of Alabama as Executive Assistant to the Dean of the College of Education. While working in the Dean’s Office she earned her Masters and Doctorate degrees, was promoted to Assistant Dean of the College of Education and was awarded faculty rank and a State of Alabama Superintendent Certification. She retired from the University January 1, 1986.
Dr. Agnew was committed to community service. She was a member of the Alabama Credit Union Board of Directors and was the first woman elected to serve as President of the Alabama Credit Union. She was a past president of the Pilot Club of Tuscaloosa, American Association of University Women, Pi Tau Chi, and served in various capacities in Kappa Delta Pi, YMCA, Modern Culture Club, The Women of the Church, Alpha Phi Fraternity, and is listed in Who’s Who of the South, the Southwest, and the World. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa, The University Club, and The Indian Hills Country Club.
In 2003 Mr. Agnew suffered a stroke and they moved to State College, Pennsylvania to be close to family. She is survived by her son, Dr. William Jackson Ray and wife, Dr. Judith Mebane Ray of State College; grandson Dr. Adam M. Ray, wife Victoria F. Ray, and sons Liam and CJ of Allentown, PA; granddaughter Lauren Ray Hensey, husband Robert Hensey, and children Lile and Ronan of County Sligo, Ireland; granddaughter Jennifer Rowley of Ithaca, NY; grandson David Rowley and sons Drew and Christian of Montclair, NJ; granddaughter Katherine Rowley of Phippsburg, ME; and nephew Dr. Donald H. Dahlene and wife Ruth Dahlene of Eclectic, AL. Mr. Agnew died January 17, 2008.
The family wants to thank everyone at Juniper Village who were so kind and caring in welcoming Mary K into her Pines home for her last two years. We are so thankful that she was able to spend the end of her life the way she did her previous 99 years—on her own terms. We especially want to thank the nurses and aides who treated her with equal measures of kindness and professionalism. They all gave our 101-year-old matriarch—a strong Southern woman throughout her life—a safe, comfortable, and friendly landing. Thank you!
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Haky/Georgiana Centre County Funeral Home with interment at the Centre County Memorial Park in State College. Per the family’s request, services are private.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the charity or church of your choice.
An online guestbook may be signed and condolences left for the family at www.hakygeorgianafh.com.