Mary Wilson Kistler Stahl

Mary Wilson Kistler Stahl, age 98, passed away peacefully on March 1, 2021 in Needham MA. The daughter of Mary Collett Wilson Kistler and Charles Edmund Kistler, Mary was born on August 11, 1922 in Greensboro, NC, at her grandparents' home, and grew up in Morganton, NC. She graduated from St. Mary's High School in Raleigh, NC and attended Wellesley College to which she remained devoted her entire life.
Throughout her life, Mary pursued diverse passions: hometown Mimosa Festival Queen at age 18; hydroplane racer - the only woman competing again men on Lake James in NC; x-ray technician at Grace Hospital, Morganton and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; political campaigner for U.S. Senators Frank Porter Graham and Edward Brooke III; first weather girl on WBZ TV in Boston; avid New England skier who once did Tuckerman's Ravine, Mt. Washington on Mother's Day; and enthusiastic scuba diver beginning at the age of 60 in the Bahamas, sometimes diving with three generations of family
Mary was first married to James Braxton Craven, Jr. in 1941 and had two sons, James Braxton Craven III, of Durham, NC and Stephen Kistler Craven, of Honolulu, HI. In 1956, Mary married then Lt. Lawrence Edwin Stahl, USN, the love of her life. During his naval career, they lived all over the world. In retirement, they lived in Gulfstream, FL and continued to explore new countries around the globe. Ten years after Larry passed away, Mary moved to Westwood, MA to be closer to her daughters, Mary Powers of Dover and Betsy Wilkinson of Lexington.
For many years, Mary and Larry spent six months a year in Dornoch, Scotland, where they developed many special friendships. Mary continued visiting Dornoch until she was 92. Throughout her life, Mary was very active in the Episcopal Church. Her volunteer activities extended beyond her church to various hospitals, US Navy family support groups, the Red Cross, the Junior League, the National Cathedral and THIS for Diplomats in Washington, DC and other organizations.
In addition to her four children, Mary leaves behind nine loving grandchildren as well as seven nieces and nephews. Mary was predeceased by her husband, Larry Stahl, her two beloved brothers Charles Edmund Kistler and Andrew Milton Kistler II, and her grandson, David Braxton Craven.
The family will have a private memorial service, officiated by her son, Jim, an Episcopal minister, in the United States Naval Academy Chapel, and Mary will be interred with her husband on the grounds of the USNA, Annapolis MD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Library Foundation of Burke County, 204 South King St., Morganton, NC 28655.