ROQUEBRUN, France – Mary C. Toole, 68, died at her home in Roquebrun, France, on April 4, 2023, with her loving husband Stephen Ward by her side. Born in Bangor, Maine, the daughter of Robert and Geraldine Toole, Mary pursued an education at the University of Maine and went on to receive her Law Degree from the New England School of Law. She practiced initially at Legal Services in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was passionate about helping vulnerable populations gain access to resources. Mary was a fierce advocate for her clients and an expert in the field of elder law. In 1990 she moved to Peaks Island, Maine. She was a founding shareholder in Toole & Saxby, PA, and later Toole and Powers, PA in Portland. She loved island life, especially picnicking on the beach and playing ghost in the graveyard outside at dusk with her children and step children.

Mary was gifted in creating connections. She established close friendships on Peaks Island and within the Maine legal community. She possessed a strong sense of duty and served on the Probate Rules Committee, as Chair of the Civil Legal Services Fund, Chair of Legal Services for the Elderly, and on the boards of Southern Maine Agency on Aging, the Justice Action Group, and as a Trustee at Park Danforth. Mary and her law partner, Victoria Powers, served separate terms as President of the Maine Bar Foundation. In 2010, Mary was the grateful recipient of the John W. Ballou Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor awarded by the Maine State Bar Association, in recognition of her work expanding access to justice for all Mainers. 

Mary was a wonderful and loving mother, advisor, and friend to her two children. Mary was also a loving grandmother, and was constantly delighted by the love, curiosity, and antics of her grandchildren. She was fiercely proud of each of them, and was known for sharing the latest news about them with anyone who would listen to her.

In 2004, Mary met Stephen Ward and they bonded over a shared love of travel and passion for cooking. They traveled extensively through North and South America, Asia, and Europe, often visiting the south of France. They married in 2008 and bought a home in Roquebrun, France in 2013. They welcomed countless guests into their homes, where they generously served food and wine, delighted guests with travel and meal recommendations, shared stories, and laughed well into the night. Mary and Steve shared a pact that in their blended family “our kids always come first.” They honored their shared family and prioritized their love for their children, stepchildren, and grandchildren above all else.

Mary was passionate about social and legal justice and firmly believed that the right to an attorney should extend to everyone in both civil and criminal legal matters. She was a particularly fierce advocate for the rights of women and was deeply committed to helping find ways to provide access to safe abortion, at times at considerable personal risk. Memorial contributions may be made to the Campaign for Justice or The Laura Fund at Planned Parenthood.

Mary is survived by her husband, Stephen Ward; her daughter, Katharine M. Hall, VI; her son, Dan Hall and his wife Jen Olson; her grandchildren, James and Katharine M. Hall, VII; her step-daughter Kelly Ward and her husband Wesley Mills; Jesse Kommel-Bernstein, his wife Jenn, and their son Hunter; Jeremy Kommel-Bernstein, his wife Jess Bukowski, and their son Stevie; her sister Cheryl Stetson and her husband Robert; her brother Robert Toole, Jr. and his wife Pat; her brother John Toole and his wife Marie; and the many friends and fellow adventurers that she always graciously welcomed into her life.

There will be a celebration of life on the afternoon of July 6 at the Lion’s Club on Peaks Island, open to friends and family who wish to attend.

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