Barbara Anne (Hurst) McCary

Barbara Anne (Hurst) McCary, 89

Passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 2, 2018. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Gloria’s Friends Assisted Living Home in Essex, Maryland. Mrs. McCary was born January 20, 1929, in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William Price Hurst and Louise Barbara Hulburt. Her family moved to Washington, DC when she was a young child where she spent most of her childhood years attending Washington, DC schools. As a teenager, she found a love of roller skating and spent many hours at the roller rink after work.

She worked at the “old” Navy Yard in Washington, DC, where she met her future husband, Jackson Dobbs McCary. They were married on October 21, 1953, and celebrated their 60th anniversary together in 2013 before Jack’s passing in 2014 where they were both residents of Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Columbia, MD.

She spent many of her years as a homemaker in Montgomery County, MD, involved with her children’s various activities, to include several years as a Girl Scout Leader for each of her daughter’s troops. She went back to work in 1965 with Montgomery Ward’s Catalog Department in Wheaton, MD, and was employed for over 19 years before the Catalog Department was closed in that location. Throughout those years, many of her co-workers became very dear close friends.

Mrs. McCary was an avid collector, and particularly loved clowns, bird figurines, beany babies, and other novelty items she knew her youngest daughter and grandchildren would enjoy. Barbara and Nancy Anne enjoyed the collecting together. Nancy Anne lost her eyesight at about the age ot 23 due to Glaucoma and long-term effects of Juvenile Diabetes The collectibles filled their house and provided such enjoyment in their Olney, MD home for Mrs. McCary, her husband, and daughter in their later years. Halloween and Christmas were two of Mrs. McCary’s favorite holidays. Every room in the McCary residence was always decorated.  In fact, her Halloween attire was always a clown costume enjoyed by all. Trick or treaters always had such fun being given treats by Mrs. McCary in costume and full clown make-up. At Christmas time, again every nook and cranny of her home was decorated, with a huge tree, hundreds of lights and ornaments, with various scenes depicted using hundreds of Studio 56 cermics. She loved to bake and as the years went by, her Butternut Pound Cakes, became well-known and requested by family and friends; truly a tasty delight for any celebration.

Mrs. McCary was predeceased by her youngest daughter, Nancy Anne, in 2005; her mother, Louise Barbara (Hulburt/Hurst) Powers in 2000, and her only sibling, William Price Hurst, Jr. in 2006. She is survived by her other children: Barbara L. (McCary) Schmidt (William) of Thurmont, MD and Ronald S. McCary (Carol) of Sacramento, CA. Her grandchildren include: Shawn A. McClung (Jennifer) of Frederick, MD; and Heather A. McClung and Shannon L McClung of Columbia, MD. They have many fond memories of spending the night on New Year’s Eve and eating old fashioned popcorn. Great grandchildren include: Kaitlyn, Kelsey, and Kylie McClung and Tristan Tashi. She is also survived by sister-in-laws, Marge Hurst of Sarasota, FL, and Frances (Elizabeth McCary) Moon of Spotsylvania, VA, and many nephews and nieces.

Details for a celebration of her life will be forthcoming with final internment at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, MD. Barbara and Jack’s cremated remains will be buried next to their daughter, Nancy Anne.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: American Diabetes Foundation, P. O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215 or online contributions at www.diabetes.org.

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