Mary C. (Crouchman) Bunting

Mary Crouchman Bunting, 91 of New Hartford passed away on April 20, 2026

Mary was born in the town of Brentwood, county Essex in the United Kingdom on May 15, 1934 as the fourth child of her parents James and Bess Crouchman. She grew up during WWII and clearly remembers going to air raid shelters during the bombing attacks and having to use a “ration book” for food for their then family of 7 children. One meal she clearly remembers was baked beans with a mashed potato topping, and her favorite breakfast was bread soaked in warm milk with honey or jam and a cup of tea.

She graduated from Brentwood Secondary school when she was 16 and went to work at a local factory where she timed workers in a film developing darkroom where she remained for three years. In February of 1953 she was offered the opportunity to come to the United States to work as a nanny to a family of four children in Bethlehem, Connecticut. After being there 14 months she met Englishman Ronald Bunting who had come to visit his Aunt  (another British nanny with a family in the same town). She followed Ron to New York City where she landed a job at TIME, Inc in the accounting department. They married on February 5, 1955 and shortly thereafter moved to Tarrytown, NY and after their fourth child relocated to Southbury, Connecticut and had two more children for a total of four boys and two girls. When the youngest child turned six months old, Mary went to work in December of 1962 at the Southbury Training School and worked her way up to a position of Rehabilitation Therapy Supervisor. She often said how blessed she was to find her “calling” and consider her years there some of the best years of her life. She also met incredible people there who became friends for the rest of her life, of whom she was very grateful.

When Mary retired, she and Ron moved to Sun City West, Arizona and enjoyed many active years pursuing their hobbies and travelling. Ron passed away in 2000 after 45 years of marriage. Several years later she met Dave Comorre, a widower who had also lost his spouse to cancer. They began a relationship that lasted until his death in 2018.

A few months after Dave’s passing, Mary moved back to Connecticut to be close to her children and grandchildren and lived in New Hartford in a cottage on her eldest son’s property until her passing.

Mary is survived by her sons Brian (Joy) Kenneth (Dawn), David (Anne) and Jim, and daughters Dianne (Stephen) and Dawn (Jan), grandchildren Jennifer (Max)Mori, Kevin (Katie)Bunting, Kendra (Alencar) DeSousa, Aaron (Amy) Bunting, Spencer (Abigail) Bunting, Stephen, Emily, Valerie and Benjamin Lewis, and Charlie and Trevor, and great-grandchildren Vivian and Russell Bunting and Ayla DeSousa, her nephew John (Veronica) Isaac and grand nephews Nicholas (Amy) Issac and Rory (Jessica) Isaac and Great grand niece Orla Illiffe Isaac, sisters-in-law Kathleen  and Jean Crouchman of the UK. along with many other nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cherished friends. Mary was predeceased by her sisters Beryl Finch,  Kathleen Kirk, Anne Bell and Jenny Crouchman and brothers Gerald and Clive Crouchman.

A Celebration of Life will be at the Church of the Epiphany parish hall, Southbury, CT on Friday, June 5, at 11:00am. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

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