Mary Lee Seifert

?On March 7th, 2016, Mary Lee Seifert died peacefully at home in Bowie, MD.  In her last days she was surrounded by family and friends.  Born in NJ, she loved to travel and lived abroad in Germany and England, where she became an ardent anglophile.  Her passions were:  quilting, sports, cake decorating, Parkinson's dance class and spending time with her family.  She is survived by her partner, Arthur James, brother, John Robb, children Douglas Atkinson, Michael Atkinson and Sharon Pearson, 11 grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and loved ones.  A Memorial Service will be held on April 2nd at 2:00pm.  In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in her name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Bowie Parkinson's support group.Mary Lee's life historyBorn in 1938, Mary Lee Seifert was raised in New Jersey along with her two brothers (James Robb and John Robb). In 1959 she married Richard Atkinson and moved to Germany as an Army wife. By the mid 1960s, she was mother of three (Douglas Atkinson, Michael Atkinson, Sharon Atkinson Pearson), raising her kids in Bowie, Maryland. In 1967, the family moved to England, where she learned to let her kids play in the rain, visited castles on weekends and enjoyed the English countryside. She enjoyed cake decorating as a hobby, quickly became an expert, creating elaborately decorated frosted cakes. After returning to Maryland in 1971, she finished her BS in Economics at the University of Maryland. She also threw her considerable energy into her kids' activities, driving countless miles, supporting soccer teams, Boy Scouts, leading a Cub Scout den for Michael and a Camp Fire group for Sharon. It was the beginning of 25 years of service to Camp Fire in the DC area as she rose from a volunteer to serve on the Washington DC area council. Each year, her garage would be transformed by giant stacks of peanut brittle boxes for the annual Camp Fire fund raising campaign. She was a fan of many sports, including the Washington Redskins, a love she passed along to her children. In the mid 1970s, Mary Lee started with the federal government at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and was ultimately responsible for preparing the monthly employment statistics. In the late 1970s, Mary Lee and Richard Atkinson divorced. Mary Lee's budding career and teen children kept her busy.During the 1980s, Mary Lee finished a BS in Accounting, taking classes with her daughter, Sharon. Douglas married in 1981; Sharon and Michael each married in 1990. With her kids settled, and grandchildren arriving, Mary Lee lavished love on her growing family. She took up quilting and created a personalized quilt for each of her 11 grandchildren born between 1985 and 1998. Her wicked skills included playing cards and Trivial Pursuit. She was a smart, competitive spirit whose disarming smile belied her competitive drive.In 1985, Mary Lee met her soul mate Art James in a statistics class at University of Maryland. Art's love of BBC TV series aided and abetted an ardent anglophile. Their travels together included Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and a cruise from Venice to Athens, visiting several Greek islands and Istanbul. Art's love and support for Mary Lee and her family would continue to be even more amazing through their years together. There was frequent continental US trips as grandchildren grew up in North Carolina, Indiana, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Maryland, and Washington state. Mary Lee attended numerous milestone events. She and Art once drove five hours for a surprise holiday arrival at Douglas' family in North Carolina. In the 1990s, as the number of grandchildren increased and the number of quilt projects grew, Mary Lee faced a new challenge – she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a debilitating incurable disease. For many years, she battled the disease through exercise and medication. In the mid 1990s, Mary Lee moved to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service where she worked in the Office of the Actuary. She retired in 2008 after 30 years of government service.In retirement, Mary Lee and Art moved to Bowie where she had previously raised her family. For the last ten years, Mary Lee and Art were avid fans and season ticket holders of the Maryland women's basketball team, attending all home games. Mary Lee joined the Parkinson's support group at the Senior Center, and for the last four years she regularly participated in a Parkinson's dance class. She stayed active as Art found increasingly creative ways to help her get around. Mary Lee was positive and good natured even as her condition made it harder for her to express herself and accomplish daily activities.Mary Lee exemplified love, always looking for what she could do for others, always supporting her family in any way she could. The confidence shown by her children and grandchildren grew from her unwavering confidence in them. She was a mother-in-law to three who all felt the full weight of her love. The grace and perseverance she demonstrated living so long with her debilitating Parkinson's condition was inspirational; her loving soul and sharp, active mind remained even as her body failed her.