Mary C. Summers - Obituary

ary Chaffee Summers, cherished wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on October 21, 2025. The daughter of Gertrude Brown Chaffee and Clarence Milton Chaffee, she was born on September 15, 1932, in Canton, Ohio. As a child, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio, and later to Arlington, Virginia where her father worked for the government as part of the war effort in WWII. On October 17, 1959, she married Paul Francis Summers, Jr., and they enjoyed a close and happy marriage until he passed in 2015. Although she was raised in the city, Mary grew up as a tomboy (as she described it) and loved living an active life of horseback riding and playing outside. She married Paul, whom she admired for his strong character and gentle spirit -- a farmer at heart. They eventually found “Mt. Airy” their 1850 Davidsonville, Maryland home, which they lovingly restored. They shared a love for the outdoors and gardening together. Thoughtfully preserving their historic home was their passion, and they passed on this respect and love of old houses to their children and grandchildren. Mary had a warm smile, a ready sense of humor, and was gracious and kind to everyone she encountered. She would strike up friendly conversation with everyone she met, from strangers in the checkout line to a new neighbor or her children’s friends. Mary loved poetry and found joy in art and in appreciating God’s creation in nature. On walks at Mt. Airy she delighted in pointing out a special flower, a thriving fern, or a stone that had an interesting color or shape. In later years, Mary spent countless hours researching family history, searching out both genealogy and stories about her ancestors to honor their memory. Mary’s steadfast Christian faith was an example to her family as was her devotion to her mother, with whom she had a very special bond as an only child. Mary will be remembered by her children, Margaret (Margo) Summers Jones (and her husband Barry Martin (Marty) Jones), Paul Francis Summers, III, a cherished honorary family member Tina Hamilton, and her grandchildren, John Richard Lopez (wife Ameerah Lopez), Andrew Robert Lopez, Caroline Summers Barnett (husband Ben Barnett), and Paul Francis Summers, IV. She is reunited in Heaven with her husband, Paul Francis Summers, Jr., and daughter-in-law, Mary Johannes Summers. Friends and family are invited to visit with the family at Mt. Airy on Tuesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 30, from 6:30-8:30 pm, 849 Mount Airy Rd., Davidsonville, Md. Following Mary’s wishes, there will be a small, private memorial gathering of her children and grandchildren. She later will be interred next to her husband, Paul, and near her parents at Arlington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at Online Donations - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online HERE or to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 600 14th Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005 or online ONLINE HERE Please leave a message for Mary's family by using the memories tab on this page.