Mary Virginia Baffle | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Mary Virgnia Baffle, age 92, a resident of Washington, NC died Saturday July 20, 2024, at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital in Washington.

    A graveside funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m. Wednesday July 24, 2024, at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Washington officiated by Pastor Robert Travis.

    The family will receive friends 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday July 23, 2024, at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington. A repass will be held following the service at Emmanuel Free Will Baptist Church in Washington.

    Mary Virginia Boyd was born on February 22, 1932, into the family of Jobe and Mary Boyd of Washington, North Carolina, where she enjoyed a prosperous farm family life with 13 siblings. The eldest of five girls, she would go on to fill the role of second mother-in-charge for many of those siblings. Often described as a bit bossy and a tattletale, she also was known for her strong maternal instincts and for demonstrating an unmistakable love for all things family.

    Mary Virginia, as she was affectionately known, attended Beaufort County Schools in Washington, and graduated from St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, NC, where she earned her Bachelor of Education degree in 1954. She would later continue advanced studies at the University of Maryland and at Trenton State University in New Jersey, and taught summer school at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. She began her teaching career in North Carolina at the Pitt County Training School and then in the Harnett County School District.

    Mary met and married Henry L. Niles, Jr., with whom she settled in Raleigh and had their only child, Angela Vonita.

    Eventually, Mary relocated north to Washington, DC, and taught at the Laboratory School for children, part of Bowie State University in Bowie Maryland, the oldest historically black university in the state and one of the ten oldest in the country. She expressed her interest in and support of the Civil Rights Movement when she marched in the March on Washington in 1963. She would later remarry, wedding Maurice E. Biffle of Los Angeles, California, where she briefly taught elementary school. Preferring life on the east coast, she and her family relocated to Trenton, New Jersey, where she eventually retired from the New Jersey Education Association and the Trenton Board of Education. There, Mrs. Biffle - known to her northern friends as "Gin" or "Ginny"- enjoyed a tenured teaching career of 34 years, joined the rank of distinguished Teachers of the Year, and earned numerous awards.

    During her tenure, Mrs. Biffle became like a second mother to many students and was known for her selfless participation in youth groups and activities, including the former federal campaign to "Just Say No" to drugs. She served on various committees and pursued an advanced degree in education while attending Trenton State University.

    Following retirement, Mary returned to Washington, NC to live out her life at the family property - no longer a farm - in Beaufort County, enjoying its peace and tranquility. Eventually, her daughter, Angela Bostic, her husband, Christopher Bostic, and their daughter, Ashley Virginia Boyd Bostic, relocated from Willingboro, NJ, to Washington to be near Mary so that she could enjoy her grandchild. The couple later had a second child, Taylor Christopher Bostic, who was born in Washington, adding to Mary's delight.

    Cooking and serving delicious southern family dinners was one of Mary's favorite past-times before her health declined. Attending to her grandchildren, gardening, and socializing were her other joys. She served on the board for Emmanuel Christian School in Washington, where her grandchildren received their primary education and where she was a church member. She also enjoyed reminiscing with former school, church, and community friends. As some of her siblings retired from careers in the north and began returning home, Mary enjoyed welcoming them. She also loved sharing family stories and history with her many great nieces and nephews who referred to her as Aunt Virginia.

    Mary Virginia would tell you that her most proud and important accomplishment was developing a strong, devoted, and faithful relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Toward the end of her life, long after most of her friends had passed, and feeling weak and tired, she'd often ask "Why am I still here?" But then she would say, "I guess He has more for me to do, somebody for me to share Jesus with." And she did.

    Rest well, Ms. Mary.

    Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com

    The Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.