Mary Lee Wallace, 86, formerly a resident of Montclair, NJ, for 55 years, died peacefully after a long illness in Fort Wayne, IN. Mrs. Wallace was born on December 26, 1925, in New York City, the daughter of John J. and Mercedita M. Campbell. She was raised in Pelham Manor, NY, graduated from The Ursuline School and attended The College of New Rochelle.Mrs. Wallace moved to Montclair in 1952 where she raised five children. She was a dedicated member of St. Cassian Parish in Upper Montclair, NJ, and an active member of the Junior League of Montclair-Newark for many years. Her volunteer interests included work on behalf of children with special needs, chairperson of Children's Theater, and singing with The Humdingers. She was a founding member of the Bradford Bath & Tennis Club. When her children were grown, Mrs. Wallace started a 20-year career in real estate, principally with David A. Strenz Realtors, now Weichert Realtors, where she was a frequent member of the President's Club and the Upper Montclair office's first "Sales Team Hall of Fame" inductee. However, awards and recognition were not her goals. Mrs. Wallace took pride in helping families find the right home in which to establish and build their lives in her beloved Montclair. To that end, there are few homes in Montclair of which Mrs. Wallace could not tell you the detailed history as well as the pros and cons of living in each one. Mrs. Wallace was particularly dedicated to and active in the lives of her children and grandchildren (to whom she was affectionately known as Mimi). She had a gift for developing close relationships with friends crossing all generations and backgrounds including her contemporaries, friends of her children, former colleagues, and many families whom she met through her work. ML, as she was known to many friends, approached life with an abundance of humor, grace and kindness. She was behind many random acts of generosity bestowed upon Montclair families over the years. Many family members and friends were the fortunate recipients of her exquisite needlepoint works which remain treasured keepsakes. Mrs. Wallace was also fond of international travel. She made many trips to the Far East later in life, becoming especially captivated with the Philippines and Vietnam, and, true to her adventurous spirit, she even toured the jungles of Ecuador in the last decade.

Mrs. Wallace was pre-deceased by her parents, her brother, Jack, former spouse William H. Wallace, and former spouse A. Gordon Murphy, MD. Mrs. Wallace is survived by her daughter, Ann (Mark Troutman) of Fort Wayne, IN, and four sons: John of Manila, Philippines; David (Juliet) of Montclair, NJ; Richard (Guion) of Arvada, CO; and Robert (Deborah) of Franklin, TN; eleven grandchildren, two- step grandchildren; and her sister, Joan Hill of Morgantown, WV.

A service will be held at St. Cassian Roman Catholic Church, Upper Montclair, NJ, at 9:30 am on February 18, with a celebration of life to follow at The Woman's Club of Upper Montclair. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Montclair Volunteer Ambulance Unit, 95 Walnut Street, Montclair, NJ 07042 or The Human Needs Food Pantry, 9 Label Street, Montclair, NJ 07042.