Mary Anne Boyd Oettinger

Mary Anne Boyd Oettinger

November 4, 1929 – October 20, 2026

Mary Anne Boyd Oettinger of Clarksville, VA went to be with the Lord on October 20, 2026, just over two weeks before her 97th birthday. Her life was shaped by devotion to family, faith, education, history, and community.

Born on November 4, 1929, Mary Anne was the daughter of Lelia Crowder Boyd and Shelton Goode Boyd. She was the 9th of 11 children and was raised during the Great Depression on a tobacco farm in Mecklenburg County. She never forgot her deep roots extending across several centuries, a heritage that remained important to her throughout her life.

Mary Anne attended Longwood College before continuing her education at the Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She devoted much of her professional life to education in the Mecklenburg County School System, starting as a sixth grade teacher at Clarksville Elementary and later serving as a Bluestone Middle School librarian. She brought intelligence, steadiness, and thoughtful care to generations of students.

While beginning her career in education in Alexandria, Virginia, Mary Anne met Lt. Col. Frederic N. Oettinger Jr., U.S. Army, Retired. Their marriage took them far from Virginia before eventually bringing them home again. During Fred’s Army career, the family lived at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and in Wiesbaden and Heidelberg, Germany. Wherever Army life took them, Mary Anne created a gracious and welcoming home.

Mary Anne and Fred eventually returned to Virginia and purchased Clarksville’s historic Clark Royster House. The house held special meaning for Mary Anne and Fred , and they enjoyed entertaining family and friends.

Family was at the center of Mary Anne’s life. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Fred; their son, Frederic N. Oettinger III (Freddie); and her siblings, Bascomb C. Boyd, Shelton G. Boyd Jr., Isabell C. Boyd, Otis Barrow Boyd, Judge Robert Richard Boyd, Beth Boyd Baker, Joan Rockefeller Boyd Easley, and Jean Roosevelt Boyd. Mary Anne is survived by her daughter, Anne Goode Oettinger Price, and her son-in-law, Dr. Russ Price; her daughter-in-law, Kimberly McDade Oettinger; and her grandchildren, Mary Macon Spotswood Price Lissner, Alexander Boyd Price, Dade Oettinger Jezierski, Morgan Oettinger Owen, and Laci-Leigh Oettinger. She is also survived by five great-grandchildren: Peyton Lissner, Weston Lissner, Kolson Heath, Rhett Jezierski, and Baylor Jezierski; and her nieces and nephews: Elizabeth Gielow, Robert Boyd II, Martha Smith, and William Baker. She took great joy in her family, and her influence will endure through the generations.

Mary Anne cared deeply about the life and history of her community. She participated in the Clarksville Investment Club and the Cove Project Committee, served as a Girl Scout troop leader, and was a member of the Friends of Prestwould. She was the founder and first president of the John Goode Chapter of The National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century and was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A frequent bridge player, she enjoyed the friendships and fellowship that were part of community life in Clarksville.

Her interest in history was personal as well as civic. As a member of the Boyd Tavern Foundation and the Boyd Family Foundation, Mary Anne worked with her brother, Robert Richard, to help write the first grant supporting the restoration of the Boyd Tavern in Boydton, Virginia. Named for the Boyd family, whose ancestors came from Scotland, the tavern represented an important part of the community’s history and a connection to Mary Anne’s family heritage.

Mary Anne’s faith was another constant throughout her life. A longtime member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, she participated faithfully in the life of the parish, served on the Altar Guild, and taught Sunday school. Her service reflected her dependability, thoughtfulness, and willingness to help wherever she was needed.

Mary Anne had a quiet grace and a natural way of making people feel comfortable. She enjoyed welcoming family and friends into her home, and her warmth and hospitality will be remembered by the many people she brought together over the years.

Mary Anne lived with an abiding respect for family, faith, education, history, and community. Her legacy can be seen in the family she cherished, the students she served, the guests she welcomed, and the institutions and historic places she helped sustain. Those who knew her will remember both what she accomplished and the warmth, dignity, and grace with which she lived.

A funeral will be held at 11am on Thursday, Nov 5, 2026 in St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Clarksville, VA. Family and friends are invited to a reception afterwards in the Boyd Tavern, Boydton, VA. A burial service will be held the same day in the Ephesus Methodist Church cemetery at 3:30 PM. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home.

The family requests that memorial gifts be directed to the Boyd Tavern Foundation, PO Box 183, Boydton, VA 23917.