Mary Frances Dillman-Gramling
1939-2025
Mary Frances Dillman-Gramling, age 86, passed away peacefully under Hospice Care on November 14, 2025 in Winchester, Va. with family present.
Born March 14, 1939, in Takoma Park, Md., she was the daughter of William Miller and Frances Musgrove Miller.
She graduated from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Md. and spent much of her adult life living in Highland, Md.
In 2005, she relocated with her family to Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
Mary held interesting careers, including time with the NSA (during the Kennedy Administration), many years of working for American Postal Workers Union Insurance, and various secretarial positions. In the 1990s and 2000s she found her most cherished career as a teaching assistant for elementary and special education students in Howard County, Md. (Pointers Run Elementary and Swansfield Elementary.) After moving to West Virginia, Mary became a substitute school secretary. She was a PASS Volunteer who loved reading with children and giving them individualized support. Mary also volunteered for Starting Points Soup Kitchen of Morgan County. She loved to read. She loved nature, travel, and was an avid fan of basketball and football, especially the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens.
Mary was Catholic. She loved God and loved her family fiercely.
Mary is survived by her devoted husband of 45 years, Richard Gramling; her children, David Dillman (Las Vegas), Debra Dillman-Wachter (Berkeley Springs), Megan Grommes (Minnesota) and Christina DeHaven (Berkeley Springs); her grandchildren Christopher Dillman (Berkeley Springs) and Ruth, Lilly, and Erik Grommes (Minnesota); her sister, Laura Christine Fary (Silver Spring, Md.) and many beloved nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Denzel Dillman; son, Denzel Dillman Jr.; brother, Bill Miller; and sister, Linda Drummond.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at Helsley-Johnson Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 95 Union Street, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Burial will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4-7 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s name to Morgan County Schools and Starting Points Resource Center.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.helsleyjohnsonfh.com.
