IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Mary
Haythornthwaite
March 7, 1927 – December 25, 2014
Obituary
Listen to Obituary
December 30, 2014
B. Mary (Swift) Haythornthwaite, mother, grandmother and sister, is remembered today in Severna Park, Maryland, for her lifetime of family and role as a physician.
Born March 7, 1927 in Bradford, England to Herbert and Maisie Swift, Mary grew up in Sheffield with her sister Joan and spent many happy summers with her grandparents at Tanyard, the family home near Manchester. She attended boarding school as a child and completed medical school at the University of Manchester (1950). She met her future husband, Robert M. Haythornthwaite, through her father who was the Chair of Bob's department at the University of Sheffield. Soon after their marriage in 1952, the young couple, who was expecting their first child, moved to Providence, RI where 3 of their 4 children were born. While raising these children, Mary managed to start a residency in pediatrics at the Charles V. Chapin Hospital in Providence. Following Bob's career move to the University of Michigan, the family moved to Ann Arbor and Mary completed her pediatric residency while earning a Masters of Public Health at the University of Michigan. During this time she juggled her professional life with her family life and had her 4th child.
When the family moved to State College, PA in 1967 she started a private medical practice in pediatrics and consulted with the Pennsylvania State Health Department. Mary was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Maternal & Child Health in the Division of Biological Health at the Pennsylvania State University, where she was a consultant to the Speech & Hearing Clinic. She served as Director of the Family Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1974, worked with the Head Start Program of Central Pennsylvania, and served on the Advisory Committee to the Project for Multiply Handicapped Children at Pennsylvania State University. Upon moving to the Philadelphia area in 1983, she served as a primary care physician at the Woodhaven Center at Temple University. She continued at Woodhaven, serving developmentally disabled adults, until she retired in 1998. She ultimately celebrated more than 50 years as a practicing physician.
In 1987, Mary joined Bob in creating the Robert M. and Mary Haythornthwaite Foundation, whose goal is to support and encourage research in the field of mechanics. The Foundation funds research of undergraduate and graduate students in mechanics and most recently has instituted a series of highly competitive grants for young faculty pursuing research in mechanics. This work gave her particular joy following the death of her husband and best friend, Bob, in 2007.
Mary raised with Bob four children, Richard Swift, Jennifer Anne, Susan Mary and Sheila Margaret. In 2002 the family assembled for Bob and Mary's Golden Wedding, the celebration of 50 years of marriage. In addition to her many professional activities, Mary gave to her community as a member of the League of Women Voters and through her volunteer work with local literacy programs. She was an avid reader and enjoyed travel, particularly road trips with the family for camping and being outdoors. She also enjoyed gardening and was a longstanding member of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.
Mary is most fondly remembered as a kind, gentle and compassionate physician, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Please join us in remembering Mary.
Richard S. Haythornthwaite
Jennifer A. Haythornthwaite
Susan M. Haythornthwaite
Sheila, Robert, Andrew and Natalie Glesmann
B. Mary (Swift) Haythornthwaite, mother, grandmother and sister, is remembered today in Severna Park, Maryland, for her lifetime of family and role as a physician.
Born March 7, 1927 in Bradford, England to Herbert and Maisie Swift, Mary grew up in Sheffield with her sister Joan and spent many happy summers with her grandparents at Tanyard, the family home near Manchester. She attended boarding school as a child and completed medical school at the University of Manchester (1950). She met her future husband, Robert M. Haythornthwaite, through her father who was the Chair of Bob's department at the University of Sheffield. Soon after their marriage in 1952, the young couple, who was expecting their first child, moved to Providence, RI where 3 of their 4 children were born. While raising these children, Mary managed to start a residency in pediatrics at the Charles V. Chapin Hospital in Providence. Following Bob's career move to the University of Michigan, the family moved to Ann Arbor and Mary completed her pediatric residency while earning a Masters of Public Health at the University of Michigan. During this time she juggled her professional life with her family life and had her 4th child.
When the family moved to State College, PA in 1967 she started a private medical practice in pediatrics and consulted with the Pennsylvania State Health Department. Mary was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Maternal & Child Health in the Division of Biological Health at the Pennsylvania State University, where she was a consultant to the Speech & Hearing Clinic. She served as Director of the Family Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1974, worked with the Head Start Program of Central Pennsylvania, and served on the Advisory Committee to the Project for Multiply Handicapped Children at Pennsylvania State University. Upon moving to the Philadelphia area in 1983, she served as a primary care physician at the Woodhaven Center at Temple University. She continued at Woodhaven, serving developmentally disabled adults, until she retired in 1998. She ultimately celebrated more than 50 years as a practicing physician.
In 1987, Mary joined Bob in creating the Robert M. and Mary Haythornthwaite Foundation, whose goal is to support and encourage research in the field of mechanics. The Foundation funds research of undergraduate and graduate students in mechanics and most recently has instituted a series of highly competitive grants for young faculty pursuing research in mechanics. This work gave her particular joy following the death of her husband and best friend, Bob, in 2007.
Mary raised with Bob four children, Richard Swift, Jennifer Anne, Susan Mary and Sheila Margaret. In 2002 the family assembled for Bob and Mary's Golden Wedding, the celebration of 50 years of marriage. In addition to her many professional activities, Mary gave to her community as a member of the League of Women Voters and through her volunteer work with local literacy programs. She was an avid reader and enjoyed travel, particularly road trips with the family for camping and being outdoors. She also enjoyed gardening and was a longstanding member of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.
Mary is most fondly remembered as a kind, gentle and compassionate physician, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Please join us in remembering Mary.
Richard S. Haythornthwaite
Jennifer A. Haythornthwaite
Susan M. Haythornthwaite
Sheila, Robert, Andrew and Natalie Glesmann
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