If This Local Legend Showed Up At Your School, Best Day Ever

I vividly remember when I met Mary Hunter.

I was a 2nd-grader at McGraw School in Hampden, and our teacher told us we were going to do something a little different. As I recall, it was in the week leading up to Christmas vacation, so it seemed to be endless fun things that week, instead of the usual boring school work. Yes, I even hated school in 2nd grade...

Our teacher introduced us to Mary Hunter, and her husband John. Now, we'd done plenty of arts and crafts type stuff before, but Mary and her husband made it fun in a way that we'd never seen. We made winter hats out of the sleeves of old sweaters.

We'd cut a section out of it, and they taught us how to use these big plastic, safety sewing needles to stitch the tops closed, and fluff out the top to make a little puffball. It was like real-life magic. Tiny minds blown.

She spent just as much time with grown-ups too.

Years later when I was in my 30's, I met Mary again when a close family member was in hospice. She was volunteering at that facility, doing all the same things she did with us. She was engaging them in mega-fun activities that seemed to melt away all the anxieties those folks had about being there. It was amazing.

As much as Mary loved to teach us all, she loves to learn.

Mary Hunter just turned 99 years old, according to WABI. And during all this time, she's been taking piano lessons and brushing up on her reading skills with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor. She is still setting an example for anyone, that age means nothing and that pushing yourself to try new things never has to stop.

She definitely doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down. In fact, when you watch someone like Mary, it makes people 40 years younger than her feel like they aren't doing enough! I'm just glad to see that one of the biggest stars of my childhood is shining as brightly as ever.