LITCHFIELD – Marie Hickey Wallace (née Grace Marie Hickey), 98, passed away peacefully at her home in Litchfield on April 8, 2024, with her children by her side. She was the daughter of James Walter Hickey and Grace Murphy Hickey of West Hartford. Marie was preceded in death by her husband, Edward F. Wallace Jr., D.V.M., and her brother, James Gregory Hickey.
Marie was born in Hartford on Jan. 27, 1926, and raised in West Hartford. She graduated from Mount Saint Joseph’s Academy and received a B.A. in economics from Connecticut College for Women in New London, now Connecticut College. Upon her graduation she entered a career as a group health underwriter and account specialist at the former Connecticut General Insurance Co.
In 1955 Marie married Edward F. Wallace Jr., D.V.M., her husband of 40 years, and moved to Litchfield, where Dr. Wallace had established a veterinary practice in 1953. Over the next seven decades Marie raised a family, helped manage her husband’s practice, forged lifelong friendships, and invested herself in a myriad of community and civic organizations in support of the town of Litchfield and its residents.
In 2001 Marie was awarded an inaugural Public Service Award from the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s office in recognition of more than 25 years of commitment to serving her community. Her early volunteer pursuits included Cub Scout and Brownie troop leader for her young children, volunteer “Tiny Tots” swim instructor at the Torrington YMCA, CYO instructor, founding organizer of Litchfield High School’s College Night, Home Selection Committee member for the American Field Service, The New York Times Fresh Air Children’s Project coordinator, docent and public relations chair for the Litchfield Historical Society, and Literacy Volunteer/ESL teacher.
As her children matured and moved into their adult lives, Marie’s civic and political involvements broadened. A long-standing member and past president of the League of Women Voters in Litchfield, she became a regional director of the league’s Connecticut board and editor of the league’s VOTER publication. In a 2004 interview for the Litchfield Enquirer, Marie noted, “The goal of the League is to make people aware that it is their duty to be involved in their government, and to help them understand and be informed about the issues.” She believed fervently in the importance of voter education and engagement, and her faith in the democratic process never flagged. Marie went on to serve as Litchfield’s Registrar of Voters for many years and was a fixture at the polling place for local referendums, town, state, and federal elections. At the same time, she was unapologetically political and was a member of the Litchfield Democratic Town Committee for decades.
Marie loved the town of Litchfield and worked in numerous channels to support its residents and to help preserve its unique beauty and character. She served several terms on the Litchfield Planning and Zoning Commission beginning in 1999. She served as secretary, Litchfield Aid of the Connecticut Junior Republic, and was a member of the CJR board’s finance committee. She was a director of the McCall Foundation. Countless couples met Marie in her role as a Justice of the Peace in Litchfield for more than 40 years. Finally, Marie supported for decades and served as a director of the Litchfield Community Services Fund, advocating for less fortunate members of the community. She leaves a rich legacy of compassion and service to her community.
Apart from her public life, Marie enjoyed spending time with friends and hosted a regular lunch group until late in her life. She loved to travel and remembered fondly her times with Ed touring the English countryside, visiting her daughter living in France, and a late ’90s trip to Paris in the company of her daughter-in-law and two young granddaughters at the time. She had a special place in her heart for Martha’s Vineyard in the fall where she and Ed made their way many years to fish, share the wonders of Wasque Beach, and celebrate their anniversary. Summers were her favorite season, however. Marie spent many years with children in tow lakeside at Mount Tom. In her later years, at home, she loved nothing more than to relax by her pool (where she swam laps well into her 80s), read, and solve The New York Times Sunday crossword. Marie’s greatest joy though was family – her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. She spanned generations, took pride in her family’s history, and embodied hope for its future.
Marie is survived by her sons Michael E. Wallace and John J. Wallace (Kathleen Lyons Wallace); her daughters Susan Wallace Lane, M.D. (Andrew H. Lane, M.D.) and Jamie A. Wallace (Franklin W. Fessenden); her grandchildren Caitlin Marie Wallace (Michael McMaster), Norah Suzanne Wallace (Connor Maher), Henry Wallace Lane, Theodore Campbell Lane, Matthew James Lane, and Grace Clara Fessenden; and her great-grandchild Riley Lyons McMaster.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Anthony Church in Litchfield on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 10 a.m. followed by a reception at 11:30 a.m. at The Litchfield Community Center. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to The Edward F. Wallace Jr. and Marie H. Wallace Scholarship Fund, c/o Litchfield High School Scholarship Association, P.O. Box 652, Litchfield, CT 06759; or to Litchfield Community Services Fund, P.O. Box 819, Litchfield, CT 06759.
To send the Wallace family an online condolence, kindly visit thurstonrowefuneralhome.com.
