Mary Carrington “Mollie“ (Howard) Conklin, was born in Princeton, NJ on May 18, 1954, daughter of Selena (Tatlock) Howard and the late James Merriam Howard. She grew up at Blair Academy, in Blairstown, NJ, where her father served as Headmaster. Mollie graduated from Blair in 1971, went on to receive a Bachelor of Science from Huxley College of Environmental Science in Bellingham, WA, and more recently, earned a Masters in Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond.
Mollie served as an admissions counselor at Blair Academy from 1978 to 1983. In 1984, Mollie and her family moved to Warwick, NY where she devoted her energy to raising her three children. Her family moved to Virginia in 1992 where she served as a college counselor and environmental science teacher at St. Margaret’s School. She was actively involved with Habitat for Humanity serving Richmond and Westmoreland counties on the Northern Neck of VA. Mollie and her husband moved to Westport, MA in 2006, and she taught science at The Pennfield School in Portsmouth, RI.
Mollie’s deep concern for and her love of the natural world informed her life and work. From her childhood summers in Westport where she took to the water in her beetle-cat sailboat to these recent years where she and her husband created a sanctuary around their new home, Mollie was most content when surrounded by natural beauty. She served on the Board of Directors of the Westport River Watershed Alliance and she took great pleasure in introducing her students to hidden natural processes and treasures in their own back yards.
Always able to elicit smiles from friends and strangers alike, Mollie touched hearts wherever she went. She was a devoted and beloved wife and mother, and is survived by her husband of 35 years, Huxley, their children James (28), Elliott (25), and Katherine (21). She also leaves her two sisters, Alida Woods and Eleanor Howard. She was sister of the late Jerry Howard.
There will be a memorial service at the Westport Point United Methodist Church, 1912 Main Rd., Westport Point on Saturday, June 27 at 1:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to The Healing Music Program, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Office of Development, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02217 (617-667-7333) would be welcome.