Mary Ann (Patten) Griscom, 61, of Lancaster died peacefully among her family after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease at Hospice and Community Care, Lancaster on November 25 ^th .  Mary Ann was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother.  She gave her up her dreams of becoming a painter to be a full-time housewife and mother before going to college and earning a bachelor's degree in Special Education and graduating with honors in the same class as her daughter.

Mary Ann was a loving and generous person who would do anything for family, friends and strangers. She was cited for her contributions to the Disabled Veterans of America Foundation as well as many other charitable causes.  Mary Ann was employed by the FBI in the Finger Print Identification Division for several years and was an accomplished secretary, cook, seamstress, gardener and painter however her number one priority was always her family. She supported her husband's career for the 43 years of their marriage, serving as the "first lady" of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology for the last 15 years.

Mary Ann was born on July 21, 1951 in Woodstown, NJ to Marie and Philip Patten.  She is survived by her husband, William E. Griscom of Lancaster and two sisters and two brothers all of Woodstown, NJ: Joanne Grover; Elena Colubriale; Sebastian Patten; and Joseph Patten. She is also survived by her daughter, Sonja Y. Helman and her husband, Terry Helman of Owings Mills, MD and son William E. Griscom, Jr. of Lancaster and his wife, Amy Griscom and their three daughters: Olivia Fox; Penelope Rose; and Charlotte Lynn. She was pre-deceased by her sister Rosemary Patten.

A viewing will be held at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory at 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543 on Friday, November 30 ^th from 9:00am to 11:00am followed by a brief service to be presided over by her cousin, Deacon Joseph Lopes. Interment will at approximately 2:30pm at Saint Joseph's Cemetery, 300 Paulsboro Road, Swedesboro, NJ 08085.  In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Thank God Fund of the Thaddeus Stevens Foundation, 740 East End Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17602-3714. To send the family online condolences, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory 717-560-5100