Mary Colby McKey

Mary Colby McKey, age 88, died Sunday, November
11, 2018 in Missoula, Montana. Born on June 4, 1930,
in San Francisco to Ruth Hunter Colby and Henry
Vrooman Colby, she grew up in Berkeley, California,
and at a family home in Inverness, California, as well
as spending many summers in Henryville, Pennsylvania.
Mary graduated from the Anna Head School in Berkeley
and received her BA in 1951 from Smith College,
majoring in theatre. In 1955 she married Miles Robert
McKey, from whom she was subsequently divorced.
They moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and then to
Lexington, Massachusetts. In 1967 the family moved
to Winter Park, Florida, where Mary lived until moving
to Montana in 2018. Her interests included the
environment and outdoor activities. Growing up, she
participated in many Sierra Club High Trips. In Florida
she was active with the Friends of the Wekiva River
and birding with the Florida Audubon Society. She was
involved with local civic organizations, including the
League of Women Voters and served on the City of
Winter Park’s Environmental Review Board. She developed
a serious interest in photography, particularly of
the outdoors. Mary traveled extensively throughout
the U.S., Europe, and India. She made repeated trips
to Spain and acquired a love of the Spanish language
and culture, which led to her earning a second BA, in
Spanish, from the University of Central Florida in 1981.
For many years Mary was employed as the toy librarian
for Community Coordinated Care for Children (4C)
of Florida. In addition, she taught Spanish to staff at
daycare centers. Mary was a member of the University
Unitarian Universalist Society in East Orlando. She
had a long-time interest in spirituality and metaphysics,
including involvement with the Association for
Research and Enlightenment. Mary was preceded
in death by her brother, David Colby, and her sister,
Marjorie Wening. Her oldest son, Miles Thomas McKey,
died in 2004. Survivors include her son, Andrew Colby
McKey (Marcia Ely), of Brooklyn, New York, grandsons
Jeremy Ely McKey and Miles Samuel McKey, and her
daughter, Emily Rachel McKey (Scott Caldwell), of
Missoula, Montana, and grandsons Jonathan Burrell
Delight and Jacob McKey Delight.
The family will conduct a private service in
California in 2019. Contributions in memory of Mary
can be made to Friends of the Wekiva River (friendsofwekiva.
org, P.O. Box 916196, Longwood, Florida 32791),
the Sierra Club (sierraclub.org, 2101 Webster Street,
Oakland, California 94612) or University UU Society
of East Orlando (universityuus.org, 11648 McCulloch
Road, Orlando, Florida 32817).
Please sign guestbook on
www.orlandosentinel.com/obituaries