(nee Wicker), 82, of Haddonfield, NJ, formerly of Collingswood and Gloucester Twp., NJ passed away after a long illness on January 7, 2017.

Born in Camden, NJ and a 1951 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Mary was the oldest child of Elva and Edward Wicker.  She is survived by her younger siblings: Edna Mehmet, Edward Beswick, Frances Mullen and Bonnie Hacker.

Mary is also survived by three children: Robert W. Gregory Jr. of Philadelphia, PA, Steven W. Gregory of Collingswood, NJ and Thomas M. Gregory of Beverly Hills, CA.  She proudly leaves behind three grandchildren, Steven Lewis, Joshua Gregory and Amanda Gregory; nieces, Joyce Johnson, Kimberly Hacker, Tracy Hacker and Debbie Lewis; nephews, Robert Mehmet, Darren Beswick and Brian Lewis, several grand nieces and nephews as well as their next generation of children.

For many years she worked at Sears Roebuck in Camden and then, for an even longer time, worked in the personnel department of Sears in Deptford.  She was also a salesperson for Mary Kay Cosmetics, advancing to director and mentor of her team.

Mary was a loyal member of the First Baptist Church of Collingswood and a volunteer at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden.  She was active in her children's PTA and participated in an annual collection for Muscular Dystrophy.  Mary's empathy and devotion to making the world a better place was automatic--if it had to be done, she took it on.

Mary loved film.  A one-time brush with film star, Susan Hayward was a favorite story told with bravado.  She enjoyed vacations in Vermont, visiting her in-laws and the other relatives of her former husband, Robert W. Gregory of Maple Shade, NJ.  Overwhelmingly, her passion was dancing.  Throughout her later years, Mary could be found cutting a rug at ballrooms and halls across the area.  She also shared her love with a dog or two that loyally accompanied her across the healthier years of her life.

Mary's universe was the quintessential proud world of the post World War II woman.  Family, faith and function came first.  She believed in the American Dream--longing for its assurance of a stable peaceful home, food in the pantry and a better world for her children.  She fought against hardship with work and optimism.  Her laugh, so familiar to all who knew her, was her comfort and her armor against challenging days, pessimism and difficult news.

Her final years were lived under the heavy hand of Alzheimer's Disease.  That disease took her out of the limelight of life, and regretfully the end was protracted and heavy.  All who prayed for Mary's suffering to cease can now reflect on the good times and find comfort in her passing.

A private Memorial will be held at a Collingswood restaurant on March 25, 2017.  Interested parties are invited to inquire at tomgregory@aol.com for details.

Arrangements by the FOSTER-WARNE FUNERAL HOME, Collingswood and Audubon, NJ.