Obituary
Mary Will Thomas

Mary Wilson (Mary Will) Long Thomas, age 88, a beloved mother and friend to many, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Mary Will will always be remembered by her bright, vivacious personality and her enthusiastic and energetic approach to life. She was a strong female role model to the young people she served.  Born on May 4,1937, in Clinton, SC to Joseph Kindred Long, PH.D and Pearl Marie Wilson, Mary Will moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1938 before moving to Greenville, North Carolina in 1947. She graduated from University of  North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1959 where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and a cheerleader. She remained a fervent, diehard Tar Heel fan throughout her life, and her love of sports contributed to making her a formidable tennis opponent on the courts as well. Mary Will began her long career in education as a teacher at Carr Junior High in Durham, North Carolina. She served as founder and principal of Hawaii Pre-Kindergarten School at Kaneoh Marine Corps Air Station. From 1965-1973, Mary Will taught kindergarten at Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, NC. After moving to Tampa in 1973, she joined the faculty of Berkeley Preparatory School where she taught first grade, kindergarten, Lower School French and Language Arts. Students who were fortunate to have her as a teacher attest to her gift as a motivator, essential to all good teachers. Among her other responsibilities, she was the first faculty sponsor of the Berkeley cheerleaders. She served as Assistant Head of Lower School from 1980-83 and was appointed Berkeley’s first Director of Admissions in 1984. Mary Will loved her work in admissions and recognized the potential and individuality of each and every child. In 1998, Mary Will was awarded the Berkeley Shield for Service to the School, presented infrequently by the Headmaster “to honor those people who have given especially unusual singular and meritorious service to the school.” In addition, the 2006 yearbook was dedicated to her upon her retirement in appreciation of her 33 years of service to the School, as well as given the title of Director of Admissions Emeritus. Mary Will was recognized in Tampa, the State of Florida, and nationally for her expertise in the area of admissions and marketing. She received The Everett E. Gourley Award for SSATB in 2005 “for inspirational and magnanimous service to colleagues and students.” After retirement from Berkeley, she worked briefly as a director of outreach for SSATB, now Enrollment Management Association. In 2019, Mary Will moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she lived the remainder of her years, near the beautiful UNC campus and in close proximity to her beloved, incredibly supportive cousin, Lynn Robbins and her husband, A.C. “Ace” Robbins. A special thank you to very close family friend, Emma Carter,  who devoted much of her time accompanying Mary Will during her final months, and her eventual passing at Transitions Life Care. Mary Will cherished her relationship with Emma, the daughter of Mary Britton Summey (deceased), one of Mary Will’s closest and oldest friends. Mary Will is survived by her son, Kenneth “Kenny” Long Thomas, who is living and working in the NYC area as Head of Design and Photography for Todd Snyder NY and her grandson Tate Harding Thomas who recently graduated from middle school. She also leaves behind beloved cousins: Nancy Delbridge, Raye Early, Glenn Griffin and his son Jefferson Griffin, William Ivey Long, Edwin and Alice Miller, and Craig and Suzanne Miller.  A private memorial service for family members will be held in Seaboard, North Carolina where her parents are buried. The family would like to express their appreciation to the wonderful staff at the William M. Dunlap Center at Transitions Life Care in Raleigh, North Carolina for the kindness and care they gave to Mary Will during her final days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the William M. Dunlap Center at Transitions Life Care (transitionslifecare.org) or to the Endowed Alumni Scholarship fund at Berkeley Preparatory School (berkeleyprep.org).