Mary McGrath Curry

Mary McGrath Curry

Long time Alaska resident Mary McGrath Curry, 94, passed away while at home with family in Wasilla,

Alaska. A service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church 1201 E Bogard Rd, Wasilla, AK 99654 at 12:00 PM January 12, 2023.

Mary Elizabeth McGrath was the sixth child born to Thomas Francis McGrath and Charlotte Elizabeth (Corliss) Hoeffner in Danvers, Massachusetts on July 19, 1928. When she was 3, they boarded a steamship for Texas where her father would be stationed at Kelly Field near San Antonio. She spent her youth playing in the shade of the Alamo and witnessed the buildup for WWII at the Army Air Base. When she was 8 years old, she was lowered into a cave near the family ranch by 2 of her older brothers. She is credited with the discovery of Cave without a Name in Boerne, Texas. She graduated from Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School and Our Lady of the Lake College in 1949 with degrees in Mathematics and English. She was very active with basketball, volleyball and figure skating. After graduating she traveled to Ajo, Arizona to stay with her sister and worked for the Phelps Dodge Mining Company at their open pit copper mine. In 1951 she moved to San Diego, California where she worked for Convair in the Aerospace industry. It was in San Diego that she met and married her husband of 69 years Bertren R. Curry Jr. on August 27, 1953. They met after he returned from a 1-year tour of duty with the US Marines on the front lines of the Korean War. The couple moved to Palmer, Alaska in the summer of 1954 to help his father with the Palmer Paint Company and she worked for the USGS. In October of 1959 she applied to go to work for NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s working on the Space program. She was quickly accepted and in October, 1955 travelled down the Alcan Highway with a 1-month-old son and her in-laws to start a career with JPL. She worked with NASAs JPL until her fifth child was born in 1963 when she decided it was time to be a full time stay at home Mom. She was very proud of the fact that she calculated the splash down of her Gemini capsule within a mile. All done by hand working with Dr. Simon Ramo. She has been honored with a plaque on the wall of the Smithsonian Institution for her efforts with the Space Program.

Mary returned to Alaska in 1963 staying in Palmer until the family moved back to California in 1965. She guided the family through Southern California, Mesa, Arizona, Indian Springs, Nevada and finally back to Alaska as she followed her husband in his working career. She returned to Alaska in 1978 and has lived here ever since living in Anchorage for 18 years and in their home in Wasilla for almost 30. After her return to Alaska Mary worked for the University of Alaska Anchorage for 10 years. She was very active with her church and was a member of the Anchorage Community Chorus where she was invited to sing with the Chorus in the Avery Lincoln Center formerly Carnegie Hall. She was very active with volunteering for the Legion of Mary and AARP.

Mary had a total of 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. She was very active in school and sports for her children and was a substitute teacher allowing her to be at school a great deal of time. She is survived by her 3 sons and 2 daughters, Michael Curry of Wasilla, Alaska, David Curry and Anna Solorzano of Wasilla, Alaska, Paul and Natasha Curry of Shell Knob, Missouri, Deborah Curry-Power of Anchorage, Alaska and Susan Curry of Wasilla, Alaska, 9 Grandchildren and 16 Great-Grandchildren. Mary was preceded in Death by her husband Bertren, her sons Bertren III, John and her son in law Hugh.