Mary Blackwell Kilby

Mary Foster Blackwell Kilby passed away July 1, 2025, at Ridgecrest Assisted Living in Mt Airy. Mary was the daughter of Foster Blackwell and Virginia Davis Blackwell. Mary is survived by her husband of 45 years, Andrew Lomax Kilby, Jr (Bud), their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Munson and her husband, Scott, and their daughter Louisa Mae Munson, and their daughter Anne Virginia Jilani, her husband Wahab and their son Wali Foster Jilani, and by her sister, Elizabeth Cloutier and her husband Gilles, and by many beloved nieces and nephews and cousins.

Mary was born in Charlotte, NC in 1950. She grew up in Winnsboro, SC after the family moved there when Mary was young to be close to her mother’s family after Mary’s father passed away. Mary always considered Winnsboro home and dearly loved her aunt, Mary (Mae Davis) McDonald, the matriarch of the family in Winnsboro, and her aunt, Sara Cappleman, and all her cousins from the extended McDonald family.

Mary graduated from Columbia College and did graduate studies at several institutions including the University of South Carolina. She loved teaching and was happily and capably involved in school systems most of her adult life. Flat Rock Elementary School was especially dear to her. Mary loved working with children, enriching and improving their lives. She did so much for children who so desperately needed her support serving as a child advocate for Guardian Ad Litem for many years. When asked what she did, Mary always replied, “I’m a teacher”.

Mary loved life and she shared that enthusiasm and joy with too many organizations, committees, clubs and boards to mention here. Mary was always invited, always included, and when she walked into a room, it was brighter.

The greatest gift Mary gave may have been her motherhood. Mary was precious to her daughters and to her grandchildren. No mother ever loved or cared more for her children than she did. She inspired, she consoled and she always, always was there when she was needed whether to listen or to advise or simply to hug. She made everyday life happier for her family; you just wanted to be around her. She always encouraged and championed her daughters. She was proud to share her daughter’s lives with anyone who would listen. She instilled valuable lessons in her daughters just by being herself. She genuinely felt gratitude for her life and for her family and for her friends. She carried that optimism with her wherever she went. And she will forever inspire her daughters to walk through the world as she has – with compassion and joy.

The family expresses its sincere, heartfelt gratitude to the compassionate, caring and incredibly capable staff at Ridgecrest Assisted Living and at Mountain Valley Hospice in Dobson. No words can adequately describe the difference each of these places and their staffs made in keeping Mary happy and safe and comfortable and feeling loved. We also appreciate so much the continuing care Mary received for so many years from Duke Neurology and her primary care physician. That meant so much to her and to us. And, finally, our heartfelt appreciation for the many, many visits with Mary by her dearest family and friends, their cards and the flowers they brought to her.

The family invites friends to join us at our home, 216 Howard Street in Mt Airy, at 4:30 on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, for a casual wake to remember the joy Mary brought to each of us.

The family requests no flowers and no food. If you would like, you may make a donation in Mary’s memory to The Parkinson's Foundation or to Mountain Valley Hospice P.O. Box 325 Dobson, NC 27017.