Mary Faith Huntington passed away peacefully with family by her side at her home in Boothbay Harbor, Maine on Dec. 22, 2025, one month shy of her 88th birthday. She was born on Jan. 25, 1938, in Rome, NY to parents Benjamin and Faith Huntington and spent her early years growing up in Camden, NY with her siblings Ben, Carol and Chris. She attended Camden Central School where she played softball and basketball.

After graduating from high school in 1955 Mary attended Buffalo State University to study art and obtain her teaching credentials. It was through a professor at the university that she first heard about Boothbay Harbor, a pivotal moment that would shape much of her life. She was introduced to a group of like-minded artists and musicians that came together every summer to an artist guest house called The Bay Street Studio (known as the Improbable Inn by the residents). Mary immediately felt at home there and worked over the next few summers at the Studio as a housekeeper and cook. It also provided the perfect place to practice her artwork which included sketching, watercolor, woodcut and metal etched print making. These early years at the Bay Street Studio proved to be a prolific period of her life producing numerous woodcuts and etchings using the Maine coastline as a central theme. She also met some of her best lifelong friends at the Studio.

After completing her degree in 1959, she began her teaching career at school systems in New York and Connecticut. At this time, she also spent a year in Florence, Italy where she traveled by herself and immersed herself in Italian art and culture. Upon returning to Connecticut, she met her husband Victor Giangrave who was teaching science at the same school in New Canaan. They married in 1965 and moved to Centerport, Long Island, NY where they had two children, Michael and Mark. The family moved to Ridgefield, CT in 1970 where they renovated an old colonial house on Pierrepont Lake and raised their children through high school graduation. Mary was instrumental in raising her two sons and participated in all of their activities: walks to school, little league, soccer, music, tennis, skiing, drivers ed, swimming, Halloween costume design, art projects, among many others. She enjoyed her garden and continued to work on her woodcuts and etchings in her small studio in the house.

Mary spent the next few years in Connecticut and Colorado, but Boothbay Harbor would soon be calling her back. In 1996 she relocated back to Maine and started working at the Newagen Seaside Inn as a breakfast chef, housekeeper, and gardener. This hospitality experience led her to her next adventure. A house across the street from the Bay Street Studio was for sale and she quickly bought it and fixed it up into a 7-room bed & breakfast that she named Pond House. With a staff of only herself she successfully managed the B&B for 15 years, hosting mostly artists and scientists visiting Bigelow Lab. She relished meeting new people of all walks of life and loved giving them her off-the-beaten-path recommendations for their stays.

After retiring from Pond House, Mary enjoyed the quiet life in Boothbay Harbor year-round. With her love of flora and fauna she volunteered at the Botanical Gardens. She volunteered at the local Boothbay Region Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals on a weekly basis to people in need. She enjoyed the company of her family when they visited, especially her grandchildren Gus, Ella, and Jake, exploring the tide pools with them for hours. Her grandkids will most value memories of her artistic teachings, playful and clever personality, and many spontaneous outings together to Barrett’s Park and Ocean Point.

Mary’s second family were the many local friendships she made meeting up at the Boathouse Bistro, China by the Sea, Bakers Way, and Mama D’s, among many others. She very much enjoyed the camaraderie of her friends and never missed an opportunity at a side-eye glance and a few sharp jibes during these outings, all of which were returned in true Mainer spirit and good fun.

Mary will be sadly missed but joyfully remembered by her two sons, Michael Giangrave and Mark Giangrave, their wives, Cherie Lau and Cindy Larsen, respectively; her grandchildren Gus Larsen Giangrave, Ella Larsen Giangrave, and Jake Giangrave; her siblings Ben Huntington (and his wife Barbara), Carol Wattleworth, and Chris Huntington; and many nieces and nephews who she loved dearly. She was reverently called GranMary by her family and close friends. While she lived a full life of adventurous spirit, she ultimately found her happy place in Boothbay Harbor experiencing the joys and simple pleasures of life; dining with friends and family, walking with her friends, sketching on the rocks by the ocean, and tending her many gardens over the years. Mary will be dearly missed by all.

In lieu of flowers, monetary contributions to her memory may be made payable to “Boothbay Region Meals on Wheels” and sent to Boothbay Region MOW, 82 Oak St., Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538. A celebration of life gathering with family and friends will be organized at a future date.