Mary Christine
"M.C." Byrd, 81
Mary Christine "M.C." Byrd, wife, mother, grandmother, and fund-raiser extraordinaire, passed away on Saturday, December 18, 2021, at the age of 81. She and her husband, Robert Byrd, were longtime residents of Penny Acres, Wilmington, and Queen Street, Chestertown, Maryland. She died following an extended fight with COPD while surrounded by her family at Wilmington Hospital of Christiana Care.
Mary Christine was born Aug. 16, 1940, in Denver, Colorado, the only child of Anna Vera Loebnitz Humphreys and Raymond Murto Humphreys. Her mother was a nurse. Her father was the chief investigator for the Denver District Attorney's office and also an author who wrote western novels as well as short stories for magazines.
M.C. was a champion in competitive speech and valedictorian of the Class of 1958 at Denver's St. Francis de Sales High School, where she subsequently taught English and coached speech. A Boettcher Scholar, she graduated from the University of Denver in 1963. She did graduate coursework at D.U. and began her development and fund-raising career there, attaining the position of acting director of Alumni Relations.
M.C. married Paul Smith in 1960 and they had one daughter, Christine.
She continued her fund-raising career at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, and after a sojourn in Sacramento as a public information officer for the California Youth Authority, she returned to Denver in the early 70s. She was a fund-raiser and original founder of the Denver International Film Festival.
M.C. took a life-changing turn when she went to work for LEGIS 50, an organization funded by businesses to improve the legislatures in all 50 states. It was through LEGIS 50 that she met State Representative Bob Byrd. She moved to Delaware, and they married in 1979 and later had a daughter, Rebecca.
M.C. was an administrator for the Delaware Volunteer Link, president of the Delaware Volunteer Coordinators, and director of communications, fundraising, and volunteers for the Delmarva chapter of the American Red Cross.
By then, she was ready to set up her own business as a planner and fund-raiser, and she formed M.C. Byrd Inc. Her clients included the Delaware Combined Campaign for Justice as well as various government-affiliated organizations, such as the Council of State Governments, when they held conferences in Delaware.
M.C. also took on volunteer work. She was dedicated to animal welfare, especially cats, with a fondness for the feral and the stray. She also raised funds for the Zuni Pueblo and Navajo Nation, in the Southwest.
There was always politics. M.C. was utterly supportive of her husband as he progressed through his lobbying career. He was initially at the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and then on to firms of his own, currently as a partner of ByrdGomes. She was the catalyst who persisted for years until she finally persuaded Bobby to write his political memoir, Byrd of Legislative Hall.
Her most famous client was Ruth Ann Minner, the first woman to become the governor of Delaware. M.C. and Minner connected over the challenges of being single mothers in the 1970s. Minner came calling for M.C. to be her fund-raiser through four campaigns, from 1992 to 2004, to be elected as the Democratic lieutenant governor and then governor. She was the chief planner and fund-raiser for the gubernatorial inaugurations in 2001 and 2005.
Although she had many professional accomplishments, she was most at home and happy entertaining family and friends in one of her two kitchens: Penny Acres in Wilmington and Queen Street in Chestertown.
She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Bob Byrd; two daughters, Christine Tate and Rebecca Byrd; and one grandson, Jonathan Tate, all of Wilmington, Delaware. In addition to Mary Christine's immediate survivors, she leaves behind many cherished friends and relatives, not only here in Delaware but across the country and north into Canada.
The family wishes to thank the nursing and medical staff on 8S and 6S at the Wilmington Hospital for their exceptional care during her fight.
As a friend described her, "She was a remarkable lady, she was fun, she was talented, she was capable, and an extremely nice person. That's a lot. That's the whole package."
Burial will be private. A memorial service will be held on Monday, Jan. 3, at 12:00PM at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 2313 Concord Pike, Wilmington, 19803. The service will be live streamed on the Church's Facebook and YouTube channels. Covid precautions will be observed. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in her memory to the Brandywine Valley SPCA where a room will be named in her honor.