Obituary of Mary Lou Rohrbaugh Wilt

Mary Lou Rohrbaugh Wilt, 82, passed away on January 30, 2017 in Chatham New Jersey after a lengthy struggle with dementia. She was born on August 17, 1934 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to Mary Grove Rohrbaugh Wenzel and Lewis H. Rohrbaugh and was raised in Elmira, New York. She grew up in a loving extended family with her maternal grandparents and aunt all living on the same Elmira street. Mary Lou graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dickinson College with a BA in Philosophy, having followed her parents and grandparents to that college. At Dickinson she was a member of Phi Mu sorority. She received a Masters in Education from Elmira College. Mary Lou lived for more than fifty years in the Valley area of Athens and Sayre, Pennsylvania. Her 31-year marriage to John W. Wilt MD ended in divorce. She moved to Madison, New Jersey in 2011 to be closer to family. Mary Lou was an early elementary teacher until she left her career to raise children. She hid her first pregnancy in order to finish the academic year, as even married teachers were not then permitted to be pregnant. She later returned to substitute teaching in the Valley. Mary Lou was a wonderful stay-at-home mother to Anne Wilt Poorman (Jeff), Carolyn Wilt Dean (Craig) and William M. Wilt (Jessie). She was a loving hands-on grandmother to nine grandchildren: Spencer, Carrie and Greg Poorman, Emily Dean and Andrea Dean Baker, Betsy, Kathryn, Jack and Madeline Wilt. She had one great grandchild Charlotte Baker. Her beloved brother Martin G. Wenzel of Pine City New York also survives. The Christian church was the bedrock of Mary Lou’s life. She was baptized by her minister grandfather. At Sayre Presbyterian Church she served in many roles: elder, deacon, choir member, usher, outreach volunteer, Bible student, and spiritual leader. She founded the Chow for Children program, which distributed food on the weekends to children in the Valley when school lunch programs were unavailable. She joined Madison Presbyterian Church upon moving to New Jersey. Mary Lou was an avid reader; she needed a book from her local library at all times. Her love of, and interest in, the natural world was immense as was her appreciation of classical music. Mary Lou’s baked goods, especially her homemade pies, were extraordinary. A celebration of Mary Lou Wilt’s life will be held at noon on February 4, 2017 at Madison Presbyterian Church, Madison, New Jersey. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Presbyterian Church World Mission Agency. ( http://alz.org or https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/world-mission/.. )