Mary Olive Whyte Obituary (1917 - 2016)

Mary Olive (Molly) Thompson Whyte Social Work Career Spanned over 50 Years Falmouth-Mary Olive (Molly) Thompson Whyte, 99, passed away November 26, 2016, after several years as a resident at Sedgewood Commons, Falmouth, Maine. Molly was born in South Portland, Maine, on March 22, 1917. She was the daughter of Mary (Halloran) and William G. Thompson, DDS. She grew up on Falmouth Street in Portland, attended Nathan Clifford School and graduated from Deering High School. After graduating from Westbrook Junior College (now University of New England), Molly was accepted as a transfer student to Smith College, Northhampton, Massachusetts, where she received her bachelors degree in Social Work in 1936. At age 53, after learning that one of her children had been accepted into a graduate program at the University of New Hampshire, Molly decided that she, too, should pursue her lifelong dream. She returned to her alma mater Smith College in pursuit of a Masters Degree in social work. After two rigorous years of study, including her field placement in the inpatient service at Mass General Mental Health Center, she was awarded her treasured degree in 1968. Mollys social work career spanned over half a century. In the late 1930s, Molly began her career at the Henry Street Settlement House in NYC, and ended in the early 1990s in Portland at Community Counseling Center (formerly Child and Family Services). Molly worked with the giants in the field of social work: Matt Barron at Portland City Welfare, Ed McGeachey at the Maine Medical Center, and Grace Dickstein at Child and Family Services and Community Counseling Center. She specialized in Family Therapy at Community Counseling Center and also developed considerable expertise as a community social worker in the schools and also local industry. In later years, Molly made several attempts to retire, but each time she was persuaded to return to work. Her clients and co-workers will always remember Molly for her compassion, dedication, skill and her incredible ability to deal with enormous changes in the practice of social work during her long career. In 2007, Molly was honored by the Maine Health Care Association in their Remember ME program for residents in long term care facilities. Her photograph hung in the Hall of Flags in Augusta, and the Governor awarded her with a Certificate of Lifetime Achievement for her lifelong accomplishments in social work. Molly developed a lifelong love of the beach. Pine Point was her favorite, where she had many fond memories of childhood summers with her family; and where she enjoyed many years visiting her sister, Sue Foss, at her cottage. In the 1970s, Molly began her annual trips to her condo on St. Pete Beach in Florida. She also enjoyed long summer afternoons walking the Prouts Neck beach with her best friend, Mary Levy. She met her future husband, Richard V. Whyte, at Deering High School, and they were married on August 31, 1940, in Portland, Maine. Together they raised six children and lived at 55 Highland Street in Portland for 34 years. Dick passed away in 1982 after 42 years of marriage. Molly is survived by sons, Stephen T. Whyte of Bradenton, FL, Richard V. Whyte, Jr. and wife, Judy Brackett of Northwood, NH, Thomas W. Whyte and wife Cindy Andrews of Cumberland Foreside, ME; daughter, Jane W. Dolley and husband Kenneth R. Dolley of Hertford, NC; daughter-in-law, Kathleen Flynn Whyte of Severn, MD; 9 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents; her brother, William Thompson, MD; sisters, Catherine Jane Penley and Suzanne Foss; daughter, Catherine Mary Whyte in 1959; son, William John Whyte in 1990; and her brother-in-law, Richard Fletcher Foss, who passed away in 2013 at age 96. Mother and Uncle Dick shared a birthday, and our families were looking forward to a joint celebration of their 100th birthdays in March, 2017. The family would like to express its sincere appreciation to the wonderful staff at Sedgewood Commons who cared for and loved Mother as their own during the 11 years she resided there. Over the past few years, Mother was also cared for by the very special and extraordinary team from Compassus Hospice. Our family felt assured that, between the Sedgewood staff and the Compassus caregivers, Mother was in tender loving hands every day. There will be no visiting hours. A private burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery, So. Portland, ME. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, ME. To view Marys memorial page, or to share an online condolences, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mothers memory be made to the Sedgewood Commons Activity Fund, 22 Northbrook Drive, Falmouth, ME 04105 or to the charity of ones choice.