Mary Anne Boyle Hecht

Mary Anne Boyle Hecht, 78, passed away on Monday, December 1. 2014 at The Legacy at Forest Glen Health Campus in Springfield, OH. She was born October 5, 1936 to John and Laura (Ditty) Boyle, and was baptized at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Springfield, Ohio. She graduated from Catholic Central High School in Springfield in 1954, and attended Marygrove College in Detroit. In 1960 she married John Francis Hecht in Springfield. They had two children, Tod and Heather, and were further blessed to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2010, just before her beloved Johnny's passing. In the 1960's Mary Anne wrote columns for the Springfield Daily News, and wrote commercials for the Springfield radio station WIZE. She later worked for Springfield Mental Health Services, and finally retired from Springfield City Schools as an administrative assistant in 2003. She read extensively, and she collected records, especially opera, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones, all of whom she enjoyed sharing at irregular hours with the Madison Ave. neighborhood where she kept a spotless home for fifty years. Though missed for her scalpel-wit and saintly-wisdom, Mary Anne may best be remembered for the vocabulary of her fashion and the fashion of her vocabulary, being as meticulously sharp in her wardrobe as in her conversation. Despite a remarkable recovery after the removal of a cancerous lung in 2000, her end began in 2006 with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, the first symptom of which was her gradual inability to complete the New York Times crossword by lunch, in ink, as had been her custom for years. Continually supported by family and friends, she moved to the Legacy at Forest Glen in Springfield in 2010, where, perhaps, she remains the most memorable member in memory care ever. Mary Anne was preceded in death by her parents, her husband John, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her son Tod (Jan Hensel) of Lewis Center, OH, daughter Heather Tayloe (Chris) of Springfield, three grandchildren, Rachel (Frankie Moloney), Jersey City, NJ, John (Rachel Dominy) and Jordan, of Columbus, OH, two great grandchildren Kaiden Hecht and Helen Moloney, who was born on the same day that Mary Anne died. Also surviving her are her sisters-in-law, Mary Margaret "Augie" Lightbourn and Katie Hecht, cousins Michelle, Tim, and Mary Colleen Burns, and Mary Ditty-Hill, as well as nieces Michelle Tolosky, Cathy Blane, Pam Hecht and nephews Michael Lightbourn, and David and Tim Hecht. The family wishes to thank the nurses and aides of The Legacy at Forest Glen Health Campus and Gentiva Hospice of Dayton for their compassion, care, and friendship during these especially trying last weeks. Her journey with Alzheimer's Disease was a long and difficult one and her family asks that donations be made on her behalf, to the Alzheimer's Association of the Miami Valley. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday in CONROY FUNERAL HOME. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in St. Joseph Church. Inurnment will be at a later date in Calvary Cemetery.