Writer, illustrator Mary Lancaster passes away at age 76.

For Mary Lancaster, it was always important to do what satisfied her creativity and gave her personal freedom. Her greatest loves were her two sons, her many cats, writing and art, good books and enjoying nature’s beauty.

An island resident since April 1, 1971, Mary died at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on October 2nd at the age of 76.

Born Mary Ellen Thomas to Carl Arthur Thomas and Ellen Mary (Hennessy) Thomas on October 18, 1946 in Syracuse, N.Y., her artistic talent became evident in her childhood. Though in her youth she occasionally wrote short stories and poetry, she drew almost constantly and aspired to be a fashion illustrator. Self-taught by studying the work of others she admired, Mary was hired to illustrate for the advertising department of a major Syracuse retailer as soon as she finished high school. She remained in Syracuse until she was 20 and then became a staff artist for Gimbel’s department store in New York City.

Mary left Manhattan’s hustle and bustle to live in Connecticut where she drew for the advertising department of G. Fox and Co. and free-lanced for other area clothing stores.

In 1970, Mary and her close friend Cheryl Lockwood traveled to Nantucket for a vacation. After spending a week in Siasconset they fell in love with the island and a few months later made the island their home. For Mary, it was the last move she would make in her life because she had found a welcoming community, good friends, a beautiful environment and lots of opportunities to be creative.

Mary’s first Nantucket job was at Poet’s Corner Press when it was on Orange Street and owned by Jack Gardner. She continued to illustrate fashion for local business advertisements and later focused on sign painting and brochures. She also worked with June Bartlett on the Bartlett’s Farm produce truck in town and at the farm’s greenhouses.

In 1974, Mary wed island native William F. Curtis and the following year their son, Jedediah, was born in his grandmother’s home on Plumb Lane with the late Dr. Howard Marsh attending. In 1980 she married her second husband, Leon L. Lancaster III, and in 1981 their son, Jacob, was born at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Though Mary was fortunate to work from home when her children were young, when they grew older, she returned to a full-time schedule, including at Channel 3 TV where she produced the comedy show “Not Necessarily the Nantucket News,” a popular program that spoofed local politics and activities. Following the sale of the station, she became a reporter for The Inquirer and Mirror. She moved on to write for The Nantucket Beacon, leaving just months before The Beacon folded under new ownership. Mary continued writing for Nantucket Magazine and other regional publications. In the early summer of 2003, Don Costanzo, her former editor at The Beacon, invited her to write for him again for his new island newspaper, The Nantucket Independent. Mary remained on staff until the paper was closed in late 2010 and continued her career as a freelancer.

Mary was predeceased by her parents and her brother, John Carl Thomas of Hanover, Conn. She is survived by her sons Jedediah Curtis and Jacob Thomas Lancaster of Nantucket; a cousin, Stanley Thomas of Oswego, N.Y.; her sister-in-law, Mary Thomas of Lancaster, Pa.; and many dear, old friends.