Mary Wyatt Bordinat, 97, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2020. She was born Sept. 6, 1922, in Columbus, Ohio, daughter of DeWitt and Edith MacDonald Wyatt.
Mary graduated from Uniontown High School in Uniontown, Pa., Class of 1940. She received a BA in fine arts and journalism from the University of Iowa in 1943, a BA in art education from Wayne State University and an MA in early childhood education at West Virginia University, where she continued to work toward a Ph.D. and completed all but her dissertation.
Mrs. Bordinat taught art education at Hillsdale College and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her husband’s career moves took her to teach in secondary girls’ schools in Birmingham, England and Nsukka, Nigeria.
After the Bordinats moved to Morgantown in 1969, Mary found her happiest niche in teaching early childhood education “on the Mountain” at Sarver (the last one room schoolhouse in West Virginia), and later at Goff School. Her associations with these children and their families have been ongoing, lasting and rewarding.
After retiring from teaching, she and her husband served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Phillipines. Since returning to Morgantown, she has been an active member of the Seniors Literary Discussion Group and the Lifelong Learners at OLLI.
Her husband of 60 years, Philip Bordinat, died in 2007, and her son, Hal, died in 2011.
She is survived by her children, Marty McConnell, of East Millinocket, Maine, Mike Bordinat and his fiance, Sharon Slussar, of Morgantown, and Wendy Ennis and husband Mike, of New Richmond, Ohio; grandchildren, Sarah Moore, Philip Wade, Heather Marks, Jason Bordinat, Megan Arteaga and Connor and Molly Ennis; and10 great-grandchildren.
Her body has been donated to the WVU Human Gift Registry. As she requested, there will be a private family gathering in lieu of a memorial service.
In remembrance of Mary, memorial contributions may be made to the WVU Foundations Philip Bordinat Award.
