Obituary of Mary Ann Brinkley

 Mary Ann Paschal Brinkley, an accomplished nurse/healer, died on May 22nd at the age of 88. She passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones and friends.

Mary Ann P. Brinkley was an accomplished nurse and a gifted mathematician. She worked for 40 years as a certified critical care nurse in various hospitals in Atlanta, Ga and in east Tennessee. She also served in obstetrics, psychiatry, and as a nurse supervisor. She was selected as one of 16 outstanding nurses in the state of Georgia in the mid-1970s.

Mary Ann retired in 1996 so she could work on what she calls her “brain babies.” She moved to Atlanta and attended Georgia State University. The head of the Math Department recommended that she apply to get her geometric figures patented.

She attended the open campus program of Princeton University in 1999 to further develop her patented geometric figures known as “puzzle toys.” Mary Ann called them “inner comprehensible” and she explained, “because you can find ways to translate things in various ways rather than just one way.” The geometric figures remind Mary Ann that “Everything in life is in form. Everything in life has a seed. Everything in life has a heart.”

She also worked on the phone line of Parents Anonymous for 20 years helping people resolve issues with their children and prevent child abuse, which she described as her “underlying desire.”

Mary Ann was raised a Lutheran and had also been a practicing Baptist who knew the Bible very well. When she found Orthodoxy, she knew she had found “the first church.” Mary Ann said that she could “feel the holiness. I could feel it with my heart. I could sense the fragrance of the incense with every breath. It was a very sensory experience. It was as if I was restarting my life with that first breath.”

Mary Ann has been attending Saint Andrew Church for over 20 years. She has been a faithful member, attending almost every service until the last few years. She has volunteered at the parish’s Greek Festivals and in the church office. She wrote a faith and spirituality column called “Room for Agape” for the parish’s monthly newsletter.

Brinkley is survived by a sister, Betty Cavelli, her brother Thomas Paschal, and several nieces.

Viewing will be on Tuesday 9:30am at Sant Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Randolph, NJ. Funeral Service for the repose of her soul will be at 10:30am also at Saint Andrew.

Interment will follow at the Locust Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her memory to: SAINT ANDREW GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, 1447 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph NJ 07869 or website https://www.standrewgonj.org/ and choose PayPal / online WeShare