Mary Virginia Heep van Riper of Roxbury, formerly of Newtown and Roswell, Ga., died on January 24 surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with dementia.

Born on June 5, 1937, in Bronxville, N.Y., Mary’s parents were Gertrude Schanck and William Harrison Heep.

An avid writer and reader, Mary went to Bronxville schools and majored in English at Skidmore College, graduating in 1959. While at Skidmore, Mary’s parents suggested she get in touch with the son of their close friends. After a lengthy correspondence, Mary met Richard van Riper at Green Key Weekend at Dartmouth College. Mary returned to Skidmore starry-eyed and giddy, got on a bike and headed downhill, unaware that the bike she chose had no pedals. Richard “Dick” van Riper eventually became Mary’s deeply loved husband of 65 years.

Mary was a dedicated gardener and indoor plant expert, always able to coax orchids into re-blooming, and prolifically growing tuberous begonias year round. She had a gift for creating beautifully natural flower arrangements, seemingly out of thin air.

She was an avid birdwatcher, and until bears became visitors to her Roxbury yard, kept many bird feeders filled to the brim. When her grandchildren were young, Mary would walk with them through the trails of Roxbury, pointing out and teaching them the names of wildflowers, lichen, ferns, trees and birds.

Mary was an early adopter of fitness classes, taking Jazzercise in the 1970s at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, and aerobics classes at the Dodgingtown Firehouse in the 1980s, where she would leave her daughters struggling to keep up with her.

When her children were in high school, Mary got her real estate license and worked as a relocation counselor for several real estate agencies in Newtown and surrounds through the early 2000s. She worked hard to match corporate transferees with towns that best suited them. Soon after moving from Newtown to Roxbury in 1999, Mary became involved in volunteer activities, driving for Meals on Wheels and becoming an enthusiastic member of Roxbury Conservation Commission.

Mary is survived by her unswervingly devoted husband, Dick; her siblings, Elizabeth Hufnagel of Bar Harbor, Maine, William Heep and wife Staci, of Charlestown, R.I.; three children and seven grandchildren: Laura van Riper and husband Jonathan Brody of Stratford, and children, David and Peter; Susan van Riper Thomson of Auckland, New Zealand, and her children Dana, Bree and Mia; and Douglas van Riper and wife Kelly of Niwot, Colo., and children Sally and Walter; and six loving nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Mary’s life will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her honor to Roxbury Land Trust (roxburylandtrust.org) or the Dementia Society of America (dementiasociety.org).