By Jane Smith
BOCA RATON — Mary Devlin “Devey” Abbott, a generous and caring woman, passed away on Jan. 5 surrounded by her family. She was 89 and died from natural causes.
Originally from Trenton, N.J., Mrs. Abbott lived in and loved Boca Raton for more than 40 years. In 1971, she married J. Alan Abbott, a recently retired president of Homelite Corp. He had a home in Boca Raton and one in Stamford, Conn.
The Abbotts entertained often and were active in several local charities, including support of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. They were longtime members of the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club and of the Delray Beach Club.
Mrs. Abbott also served as volunteer services director for the Children’s Science Explorium at Sugar Sand Park in 1993 and was a member of the Boca Raton Beautification Committee that planted a native garden in 1991 at the Children’s Museum. Through the years, she maintained her New Jersey ties. She was a member of the Trenton Country Club, where she enjoyed friends and family during summer and holiday visits with her son and granddaughters. She also was a member of the Nassau Club.
In 1943, she became the wartime bride of George Simko, who served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. After the war, they had one son, but the marriage ended in divorce.
In 1960, she married Clarence “Chafe” Chafey, a retired New York banker. During the 1960s, Mrs. Abbott reconnected with a childhood friend, Betty Hughes, wife of N.J. Gov. Richard Hughes.
Mrs. Abbott was a campaign volunteer, then social secretary to Betty Hughes. For eight years, she managed the daily social and family affairs in the governor’s residence, then at Morven in Princeton, N.J.
She kept a close eye on the eight Murphy and Hughes children then living at Morven. She loved each one as her own and remained close to the children for the rest of her life.
After the Morven years, she returned to being a wife and mother until March 1970, when her second husband died.
Mrs. Abbott was a daughter of Peter James and Margaret Duffy Devlin. She was a mother-in-law to the late Elaine Simko. She is survived by her son, Michael Simko, and three granddaughters — Kate, Caroline and Julia — and several nieces and nephews.
Her funeral Mass was held in Trenton. Burial in a Trenton cemetery will be private and at the convenience of the family. Donations in her memory may be made to: Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, 745 Meadows Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486, or St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, 601 Hamilton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08629.
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