Obituary of Mary Carol Cameron
Mary Carol Town Wirth Cameron, died on August 28, 2024, at home in the Town of Lee, at the age of 87.
A native of Utica, Mary was born on January 17, 1937, the daughter and only child of George H. and Cecilia K. McDermott Town. She graduated from Blessed Sacrament School, Utica Catholic Academy, and Le Moyne College. After college graduation in 1958, she joined the Medical Mission Sisters in Philadelphia. She was a member of the community for nearly 11 years, including three years at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
In 1972, she married Roger A. Wirth, a fellow employee at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital in NYC. They moved to Utica in 1982 when Roger retired to be closer to Mary’s widowed mother.
From 1989 to 2002, Mary was administrative assistant with Marine Midland (later known as HSBC) Bank in Utica and New Hartford.
After Roger died in 2002, Mary enrolled in MVILR (Mohawk Valley Institute for Learning in Retirement), taking classes for many subsequent years. In 2004, she joined the Tramp and Trail Club, where she met Douglas M. Cameron, a recently retired electronics engineer from the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome. After several years of close friendship, Doug and Mary were married in 2010, living on Lake Delta. Together, they enjoyed years of frequent hiking, biking, kayaking, and cross-country skiing with the club until Doug was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. His health and activity then declined until his death in 2020.
Mary also served as recording secretary for the Tramp and Trail Club’s meetings for 19 years and was a long-time member of its proofreading committee. Mary had many hiking club friends and kept in touch with longtime friends associated with the Medical Mission Sisters. She drove to Philadelphia for many of the community’s reunions, and prepared the 1958 group’s annual newsletter.
Mary is survived by two, much loved stepdaughters, Denise Henshaw of Noblesville, IN, and Rebecca Barry Kent of Rochester, NY, and their families; and a very special friend of several decades, Pamela Lenaghen of Marcy. She also leaves several cousins; a nephew, Michael Wirth; and sister-in-law, Christine Cameron Lelek.
Mary’s celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, September 3, at 11 AM at the Barry Funeral Home, 807 W. Chestnut Street, Rome.