Mary Wayne

Volk

Mary Wayne Volk (née Gillespie), 84, died peacefully at Pennsylvania Hospital on November 5, 2026, surrounded by her family. Mary was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1942. While her father, Edward, served in the Pacific aboard the USS North Carolina during World War II, she and her mother, Elizabeth (Libby), lived with her great-uncle Wayne and great-aunt Hazel. It was through Wayne (Babby) that she learned the art of spoiling and creating an idyllic childhood. When Mary was three, her father returned from the war and the family moved to Woodbury, New Jersey. She graduated from Woodbury High School in 1960 and from Mary Washington College in 1964. Her childhood and young adulthood shaped her into the thoughtful, hardworking, generous, loving and independent woman her family and friends knew.

Woodbury is also where she met the love of her life, her husband, John (Jack) Frances Volk. They were married in 1964 and started their family in Millville, NJ. In 1970, Mary and Jack moved their family to Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Subsequent moves to Williamsport, Chester Springs, and finally Audubon, Pennsylvania introduced her to dear friends that she would cherish the rest of her life. She built a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry and retired from Bristol-Myers Squibb as a government contractor.

Above all, Mary was devoted to her family. She taught her children how to love deeply and express that love. Together with Jack, she created opportunities for her children that shaped them into the people they became. She adored her three grandsons and loved her time with them, especially at the beach and around a game of Yahtzee. She shared her love of the arts with her children-taking them to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Art Museum from a young age. She was loving, kind and principled, and she kept her sense of humor to the very end. She loved genealogy and shared her family's history with everyone. The albums she made for her relatives are treasured keepsakes. She also loved gardening and traveling. Like her mother before her, Mary was committed to volunteering and helping others.

Mary had impeccable taste and classic style, wearing her waist-length hair in a signature bun for many years. She was an amazing cook and a gracious host with a famously well-stocked pantry, and anyone who came to her home was immediately surrounded by her love. She paid attention to the small details. Every package she wrapped was a masterpiece, and her entries in the family's annual gift-wrapping contest usually won. She had a rare gift for making the people she loved feel special.

Faith was central to Mary's life. She was a longtime, active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Glenmoore. When she and Jack moved to Shannondell 13 years ago, she joined Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John; her son, John Christopher; her parents, Edward and Elizabeth (Harper) Gillespie; and her sister, Nancy Gillespie. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Wayne Volk (Victor Brubaker); her beloved grandsons, Julian, Elias and Gabriel; her brother, Edward Gillespie (Pam); her nieces, Elizabeth Pearce, Virginia Edwards and Catherine Collins; and her companion Brian Scully. Her family and many friends will miss her greatly.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 14th, in the Cloister of the Colonies at Washington Memorial Chapel, Route 23, Valley Forge, PA. The funeral service will follow in the Chapel at 11 a.m., with burial in the church cemetery. Afterward, the family invites friends to join them to remember Mary in Patriots' Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Washington Memorial Chapel One Heart & One Mind Capital Campaign (wmchapel.org/1h1m) or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org).