Obituary of Mary D. Card

Mary D. Card, 79, of Freehold, N.J., died Thursday, May 25, 2023, at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold after valiantly battling a long illness.

Born November 20, 1943, in Jamaica, N.Y., she was raised in Valley Stream, Long Island. She attended Valley Stream Central High School, where she was captain of the Streamers kick line and played on the field hockey team. She raised her children in East Northport, N.Y., and Richardson, Texas. In 1988 she returned to Valley Stream to help care for her ailing father George

Mary remarried in 1988 and moved to Batesville, Miss. Over 20 years in Mississippi, she worked as an executive assistant for the athletic department at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and later an accounting professional. Through the years, she developed warm relationships with many of the student athletes, including Eli Manning, who later she cheered for as quarterback of her cherished New York Giants. She was a sports enthusiast all her life, cheering for Ole Miss, the New York Yankees, her son Jim’s high school baseball program, daughter Cathy’s Buddy Baseball program for special needs children and grandson Parker’s hockey club. Until her illness overcame her, Mary was active all her life, often taking brisque walks around Lake Sardis, near her home in Batesville, Miss. She particularly loved exercising with her dog, Mojo, who remained her close companion for many years.

In 2013, she moved to Freehold, N.J., to spend her remaining years with her beloved sister Evelyn, with whom she shared a room through childhood. The two sisters were inseparable for Mary’s remaining years. She was a voracious reader, often consuming a couple books a week. She suffered for many years with rheumatoid arthritis, as well as heart and lung disease. She will be remembered for her remarkable resilience and strength in the face of debilitating illness. Family and close friends remember her as a strong warrior and wonderful example of “never giving up, no matter what.”

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Kelcie F. Card of Batesville, Miss., her beloved sister Elizabeth Anderson of Baldwin, N.Y., and her parents George and Elizabeth Duncan of Valley Stream, N.Y. She is survived by her sister, Evelyn Rechtenbaugh, of Freehold; her brother-in-law Jim Anderson and his wife Gerri of Massapequa, N.Y.; daughter Catherine Morton and her husband Rich Morton, of Boca Raton, Fla.; son James Masson and his wife Kim Masson, of Brandon, Fla.; son Ken Masson of Montclair, N.J.; granddaughters Devin Masson and Olivia Masson, both of Brandon, Fla.; grandson Parker Masson of Montclair, N.J.; sisters-in-law Carole June and Joan Bailey of Crowder, Miss.; stepchildren Kelcie Jr. and Charles; step-grandchildren Andra Olkowski of Astoria N.Y., and Dakota Cassidy of Montclair, N.J., Treycre, Karen, Jeff, Kayla, Zachary, Chelcie; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her 10:30 AM Funeral Mass on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at the Co – Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township. For those that cannot attend in person, the family invites you to participate via Webcast, HERE. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation, Help Fight RA, 8815 Conroy Windermere Road, Suite 309, Orlando, Fla., 32835, or the University of Mississippi, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655. For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com