Maury Pumphrey Obituary

Maury McLean "Mac" Lillard Pumphrey,70, of Leesburg, VA, passed away peacefully at her Leesburg home on May 9, 2024, following a long and courageous battle with Lewy body dementia. McLean was born on St. Valentine's Day 1954 to George Robert Lillard, Jr. and Nancy McLean Triplett Lillard at The Doctors Hospital in Washington, DC, but her beloved hometown was Culpeper, Virginia. She would often recount her fond memories of growing up in a small southern town with all of her childhood friends who she remained in touch with throughout her life. McLean was very proud of her southern heritage and the fact that she was the great-great granddaughter of Wilmer McLean who moved his family to Appomattox, VA after the first battle of Manassas to escape the Civil War only to have the war end in the parlor of his Appomattox home where Lee and Grant signed the articles of surrender. McLean graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg, VA in 1972 and went on to study art, design and photo journalism at the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, DC. After completing her studies at the Corcoran, she went to work for the Fauquier Democrat newspaper as a photojournalist. In 1976 McLean moved to Leesburg, taking a position with the Loudoun Times Mirror where she was an award-winning photographer. She also covered the police, fire and rescue beat along with several of the local town councils, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and court proceedings. She was also instrumental in the design and layout of the newspaper. Not long after McLean moved to Leesburg, she was introduced to her future husband, Jimmy, by a co-worker who happened to be Jimmy's best friend. A blind date was arranged and as the saying goes "the rest is history". Their love was steadfast throughout the highs and lows of life, and they were never apart more than a few days at any given time during their 46 years of marriage. McLean and Jimmy were married on May 6th 1978 at St. James' Episcopal Church in Leesburg. Some members of the wedding party asked McLean why she chose that date and she said, "because when you write it numerically it is 5-6-7-8". One member in particular said, "don't you realize that's Gold Cup Race weekend and the running of the Kentucky Derby?" McLean was not amused. McLean continued working for the Loudoun Times until 1983 when she and Jimmy decided it was time to start a family. In March of 1984 their first son, Tripp, was born and McLean wanted nothing more than to be a stay at home mom, which she became and excelled in the role. In 1989 their second son, Tyler, was born and McLean relished every moment of being with her two boys. She loved going to all their sporting events especially their baseball games, and as the boys got older, she would drive up and down the east coast taking them to tournaments. She was a fierce advocate for and protector of her boys and likened herself to a mama bear saying, "no one messes with my cubs." But she also taught the boys that there were consequences for their actions, and if necessary, they would be on the receiving end of the consequences. McLean always believed that the best gift she and Jimmy could give their boys was a good education, and they worked very hard to do just that. Both boys attended McLean's high school alma mater, Notre Dame Academy, laying the foundation for college. When Tripp was accepted to the Virginia Military Institute, McLean proclaimed she would strut down the streets of Leesburg like a proud peacock when he graduated. When Tyler decided, he would go to VMI as well and was accepted, she said she would do the same for him. Well, McLean didn't literally strut the streets of Leesburg but was beyond proud of her two VMI graduates and was always ready to share stories and pictures of their accomplishments with anyone. Even through some of the hardest times of her dementia, McLean's eyes always lit up whenever the love of her life, Jimmy, or one of her two precious sons were with her. The three of them were the pride and joy of her life. McLean wore many other hats over the years in addition to wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker and friend. She served on the Alter Guild at St. James' Episcopal Church for 35 plus years, was on the board of directors of the St. James' Pre-School and participated in countless other ministries at the church. She was on the Board of Architectural Review for the Town of Leesburg and also found time to be a part-time fashion consultant. McLean was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain, whether it was a theme- based birthday party for one of the boys, a luncheon for the garden club, a family Thanksgiving gathering or a Christmas open house, she would prepare the food, set the perfect table and decorate the house for the occasion. One of McLean's favorite hobbies was gardening and flower arranging, which led to being a member of the Leesburg Garden Club and the Catoctin Garden Club. McLean also volunteered at the Ladies Board of Inova Loudoun Hospital's thrift shop, Twice is Nice. Lastly, after Jimmy's mother retired, McLean was the bookkeeper for the family business. McLean is survived by her husband of 46 years, James L. "Jimmy" Pumphrey, and her two sons: Tripp and Tyler (Rachel). She also leaves two grandchildren: Hastings and Hattie. In addition to her parents, McLean was predeceased by her brother, Robert M. Lillard. A celebration of McLean's life will be held on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 2:00 pm at St. James' Episcopal Church, 8 Cornwall Street NW, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 with a reception to follow in the church parish hall. A private interment will follow the reception. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W. Cork St. Unit 405, Winchester, Virginia 22601 or to St. James' Episcopal Church, 8 Cornwall Street NW, Leesburg, Virginia 20176.