Mary Evelyn O’Neill Pineault, widow of James Martin O’Neill and Edward J. Pineault, died at Sunrise of Mount Vernon Assisted Living Facility in Alexandria, Virginia on April 11, 2021, just a month shy of her 89th birthday, from advanced dementia.
The youngest child of Howard Marvin Humphreys and Catherine Isabel Gott, Mary Evelyn was born on May 11, 1932, and grew up in Wallville, Calvert County, where she enjoyed being on the water, especially the Chesapeake Bay. She loved her older siblings: James Rufus Woodrow, Kathryn Eva (Harrison), Howard Vivian, Charles Marvin, Leroy Hutchins, Robert Lee and Kenneth Hoover. Sadly, her parents and all her siblings predeceased her.
She graduated from Calvert High in Prince Frederick, Maryland in 1949. While in high school she took on her nickname of “Mernie” which many came to know her by. After graduation she went to Baltimore where she worked part time at a toy factory to put herself through secretarial and modeling school. One of her first jobs was with AAA in Washington, D.C.
In 1951 she met James Martin O’Neill, also a native of Calvert County and an army veteran of World War II. Martin worked at the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative in Prince Frederick. The two were married on August 4, 1951, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and lived most of their lives at Dares Beach. The couple had two children Patricia Tydings (Tricia) and Gary Martin.
Mary Evelyn held a variety of jobs during her life. She worked part time at the Calvert Independent, the Farm Bureau, the Soil Conservation Service, and finished her career as a full time personnel supervisor and budget manager at the Calvert County Health Department. She also held various civic roles. When Martin was Chief of the VFD in Prince Frederick, Mary Evelyn was President of the Ladies Auxiliary. She not only attended St. Paul’s regularly, but she taught Sunday school, was on the Altar Guild (where she could practice her love of flower arranging) and helped with the annual Christmas Bazaar.
She was widowed in 1974 and found solace in her many friends and relatives. She loved playing bridge and socializing. Through those friends, she met Edward J. Pineault (Eddie), a veteran of the Korean War and a representative of the UFCW. They married on May 6, 1978. She became a beloved stepmother to Debbie and Joanne. She took up golf and loved making new friends on the golf course. Mary Evelyn and Ed were known for their love of entertaining, especially the crab feasts at her Dares Beach home. She continued her community service and received service awards in multiple years for her volunteer work.
When Ed became ill, she retired in 1992 after 26 years of service to the state of Maryland to take care of him. At her retirement, she received a resolution and a citation from the Senate of Maryland for her “impressive commitment to the people of Maryland.” She was widowed once again in 1995.
She lived alone for decades, maintaining her home at Dares Beach with its beautiful yard until dementia prevented this. She loved Calvert County, but most of all she loved her friends and family.
She is survived by her children Tricia (John) Politte and Gary (Michael) O’Neill; her stepchildren Debbie (Mike) Lebkicher and Joann Haley; her grandchildren–who called her Nana– Erik (Carisa) Lebkicher, Kevin (Amy) Lebkicher, Lauren (Kevin) McCarthy, and Scott Veneziani; her step grandchildren Kristy (Doug) Decarme and Jonathan Politte; her great grandchildren Henry, Elliana, and Audrey Lebkicher and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.
The Funeral Services are private due to Covid restrictions but will be live streamed. o join the Zoom Service go to https://zoom.us/j/917 5639 2406
