LOWVILLE - Mary Margaret Grace Kiernan Fletcher, 77, died early Saturday morning, on December 24, 2022 at the home of her son, Franz, and daughter-in-law, Emily, where she was under the care of her family and Lewis County Hospice.

Mary was born on December 12, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of the late Phil Eugene and Mary Lenamae (Pender) Kiernan. Mary was a scrapper and fiercely independent and left Brooklyn for California at age 17 to attend college.

Mary graduated from San Diego State College in 1970 with BA in Liberal Arts and Russian Studies and received her teaching credentials in Elementary Education in 1971. She later earned an MA through California State-Dominquez Hills in 2004.

Mary retired as an elementary and high school teacher from Woodlake School District, Woodlake, California where she taught from 1972 through 1997. Mary went on to teach elementary, high school, and junior college in North California from 1998 through 2013. Mary had a true passion for teaching kids and positively affected the lives of thousands of children throughout her career.

She married William M. Fletcher May 23, 1980. Mary and Will were married until Will's death in July 2015. Mary and Will shared many adventures together living in Three Rivers, California, Bahama, North Carolina, and Hillsville, Virginia. Their passion was hiking the Appalachian Trail and together logged well over 1,000 miles. They competed in endurance horse races, raised Labrador retrievers, and travelled the world. Mary also had a passion for music and played the guitar and lute for many years. Mary's true passion was her family; she cherished her kids and grandkids and remained very much involved in their lives.

She is survived by her six children, Franz Josef (Emily) Philippe; Christopher Michael Philippe, Matthew Aaron Philippe; Jennifer Marie (Greg) Philippe Moreno; Mark Edward (Megan) Fletcher; John William (Sarah) Fletcher; eleven grandchildren and one great granddaughter; and her sister, Barbara Barrett and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

There are no services. Memorials in Mary's name may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center.