Mary Louise Barcay

Mrs. Mary Louise Vick Barcay, formerly of 3831 Highpoint Drive, Allentown, Pennsylvania. and 72 Village Rd. Pompton Plains, New Jersey, entered into eternal rest Thursday, October 15, 2020. She was the devoted wife of Louis Richard Barcay, loving mother and cherished grandmother. She lived in New Jersey until March 1985 when she moved her family to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Born in Salisbury, NC, she was the second daughter of the late J.E. Vick Jr. and Mary Florence (Cain) Vick. She attended Mount Vernon High School in Virginia and graduated with a Library Science degree from what is now James Madison University in Virginia, serving as President of the Phi Mu sorority. Leveraging her passion for the written word, she served as the Librarian and then also Assistant Principal at Mount Carmel Catholic School in Ridgewood, New Jersey before joining the New York Life Insurance Company as an insurance agent and financial planner. Mary and Louis observed their 48th wedding anniversary this past July. Introduced to each other by a mutual friend at a party in Alexandria, Virginia, they were married by Mary’s Uncle George Vick at Fort Belvoir, Virginia on July 8th, 1972. Mary and Louis lived together in complete and utter devotion to each other until Mary’s passing. Mary became a mother on April 22, 1977 and spent all her time and energy raising her family and supporting the community through their schools, churches, and neighborhoods. She was an active member of Pompton Valley Presbyterian Church and then First Presbyterian Church Allentown, serving in several different member and Deacon roles from community flower delivery coordinator, to Youth Club co-leader, and communion and usher captain. She also moved her parents from Huntsville, Alabama to Allentown to care for them for several years before their passing in 1990 and 1991. She was an avid Washington Redskins football and UNC Tarheel basketball fan and had no problem screaming at the television as needed to cheer on her teams. She also loved music and loved listening to her daughter sing her favorite artists including Jane Oliver, Judy Collins (whom she met in person last year), Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Celine Dion. She also loved her many pets over the years, particularly her Bichon Frise, Molly. She exceled at cooking, sewing, cleaning, swimming (she was a former lifeguard) and making sure those she worked with stayed on task by being a born leader. Moreover, she was an avid board game player, with anyone who would join her, enjoying Scrabble and card games most of all. She enjoyed movies, some of her favorites included Ladyhawke, War Games, Max Dugan Returns, The Tamarind Seed, Steel Magnolias, Rear Window, The American President, The Goodbye Girl, Hello Dolly, and Foul Play. Survivors: Husband, Louis Richard; daughter, Jennifer Elizabeth of Dayton, OH; granddaughters, Madeline Grace and Isabel Faith. Services: Private interment at a later time through First Presbyterian Church, Allentown, and J.S. Burkholder Funeral Home, Allentown. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Mary’s name to the American Brain Foundation, dedicated to bringing researchers and donors together to cure brain diseases and disorders including Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia, stroke, autism, brain tumors, headaches, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and multiple sclerosis. American Brain Foundation 201 Chicago Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55415 Americanbrainfoundation.org