Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-16
OBITUARY
Miss Mary G. Torrcy.

who had been i'll with pneumonia since
Christmas, occurred sunday even
ing about eleven O'Clock at the
Iorrcy family residence at 20 South
Prospect street. She was 81 years of age.
and she Is 'urvived by n sister, Mrs. H.
A. 7. Torrey; a brother, the Rev Joseph
Torrey; and a niece, Miss Lucy Torrey.
all Of this city. Her death removes
gracious and very charming figure An
appreciation of her character and sketch
of her life is here appended. The funeral
was held from her longtime home Tues
day afternoon at 2:3O o'clock. The Rev. S.
q. Barnes. acting pastor of the First
church, omiciatcd, assisted by Pro-
fessor j. +. Goodrich. The interment was
in the Torrey family lot in Elmwood
avenue cemetery.
Miss Torrey was the eldest child OF the
late Professor Joseph Torrey of the Uni
Nersity of Vermont Sne was born In 1871
In the same room in the house on South
Prospect street in which she died, the
house which has always been her home.
Left motherless at the age of nine, she
very early assumed the care Of the house
and family and developed sense Of re
sponsiblity, which was one of her lead
ing characteristics throughout her long
life.
She was highly gifted, intellectually
and OF studious tastes and habits. She
attended school in Burlington and In Chel-
sea for short periods, but her studies
were chiefly with her father, under whose
guidance she became an accomplished
linguist, a student of history and philos-
ophy, and developed a literary sense and
skill which grew with her years. Before
she was 20 she taught for year in the
high school at Hartford under Thomas
X. Beecher as principal, and later she
taught for a time in Mrs. Worcester
school In Burlington
At the age of 16 she united with the
First Church, of which she was always a
faithful ana devoted member, at
the time Of her death proba-
bly, the oldest living member. And
she will he remembered as the au-
thor of the two fine hymns written for
the centennial celebration of the church
in 1904. For more than 20 years she was
a teacher in it's Sunday school, where
her knowledge of the Bible and her
Christian counsel were impaired to a
large proportion of the young women Of
the parish during that period. She was
Interested in the missionary work of the
church and in the charitable work of the
town. giving to them generously of her
means, as well az OF her time and labor
and influence. She was teacher in the
old charity school She was Miss Lucia
Wheelers collaboration and adviser In
founding the Home for Destitute Chill
dren. was for a time president OF Its
board of managers. and always a mem
Der of it's advisory committee. She was
president of the Young Ladies' Christian
association, n society organized in the
'1U's for religious and charitable work.
and for years she led Bible class under
its auspices.
Perhaps the work into which she put
the largest proportion Of her heart and
strength In her later years was that of
the Vermont branch of the woman 5
board of missions, in which she held the
Office of foreign secretary. Her duty was
to correspond with the missionaries
broad and report their work and their
needs to the society at home. 1t was a
labor of love conscientiously performed
for 30 years, and to the great regret OF
her co-workers was reluctantly laid down
hv her last September, when she telt no
longer equal to its demand.
Miss Torrey loved music, and the best
things in art and literature. She was
fond of flowers and n successful pract-
cal gardener, and she was skilled in var
ious household arts.
All these varied activities were carried
on under the handicap of frail physical
health, but strong WILL great tenacity OF
purpose and persistent industry, with a
wise care for her health, and serenity
of temper, enabled her to accomplish
tasks which might put many a busting
worker to shame.
Her modesty was as unusual rs her
attachments. She never thought of her
self as specially gifted or accomplished.
She was most appreCiative of tNe efforts
OF others and always most charitable in
her criticisms. Devoted to her family,
loyal to her friends. thoughtful for her
neighbors, she leaves a large place va
cant.
Miss Torrey was taken III on Christ
mas night, with what soon proved to be
pneumonia. She had seemed to her
| friends to have been unusually frail for
some months past, and she had not suff-
| oient vitality to resist the disease. though
| at times her friends hoped against hope
that she might rally.
With hcr death has passed not only one
OF Burlngton's Oldest inhabitants, but
typical New England woman of tho
old school; an embodiment, as the
| austere beauty of her cOuntenance indi-
Gated, of a gentle, puritan type of cul-
ture and religion, which has alas! be-
| come too rare