McEwen: Mary Carter McEwen, wife of Bob McEwen dies at 84

MCEWEN, Mary Carter (Faust), 84, died Dec. 12 at Largo Medical Center of natural causes, following a series of health problems over three years.

She was born to Wirt G. and Edith B. Faust in Newburyport MA, both teachers; was graduated from Bowling Green OH high school; received her BA in Sociology at the U of WI and MS in Psychiatric Social Work at Smith College in 1949. She worked at an Army hospital in Michigan and at USNH, Great Lakes IL where she met her husband, Robert G. McEwen, then a Marine Corps Staff Sgt.

They married Jan. 6, 1956, and before the birth of their second child, she retired in 1959 to serve her family. Moving from Ill., to OH. while Bob was assigned overseas, they continued to follow his Marine Corps career to California, Washington State, the Pentagon, and after his retirement to Cleveland OH, Atlanta, GA and Indian Shores, FL. in 1978.

Bob retired in 1986 from his civilian career in the newspaper industry and served as mayor of the town from 1990 to 2000 and Mary-Carter was a volunteer and chairman of the town Library.

She was named Most Valuable Member and, later, Life Member of the Indian Shores Woman’s Club. She was with her husband and adult children as she left the bonds of earth. Margaret “Megan” Britt, (Ellis) of Dacula, GA and Wm. “Gavin” McEwen, St. Petersburg. Other survivors are Jonathan Wesley Britt and Sgt. Robert Britt, U.S. Cavalry (Chelsea) of Ft. Lewis, WA.

For more than 30 years, the McEwens cruised the rivers, seas and oceans of the world, having returned from a Russian Volga cruise Oct. 15. Mary-Carter’s love of being on the water included a planned cruise to Spain in March 2009 to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary.