Mary Lou Derwent

Mary Lou Derwent, daughter of the late Thomas J. and Lucille A. Duff of Cornwall, NY, a local resident of South Bend area since 1960, died on November 19, 2025. She was born in South Orange, N.J. on February 1, 1937. She was 88 years old.

Mary Lou graduated from Mt. St. Mary’s Academy, Newburgh, NY in 1954 and summa cum laude from Ladycliff College, Highland Falls, NY in 1958 with a major in mathematics. Upon college graduation she was hired as a mathematics teacher at Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY from 1958-60. Richard Sprague, her department chair, encouraged and supported her in the classroom and in further education. During this two-year period she attended New York University, New York, N.Y. one night a week during the school year and two summers, working towards permanent certification as a mathematics teacher in the state of New York.

In June 1960, Mary Lou was awarded a NSF fellowship in mathematics to attend the University of Notre Dame Graduate School. During this time she met and later married a fellow graduate student, John E. Derwent, on August 26, 1961. She continued graduate school and received her M.S. in mathematics in May 1962, the same week her first child was born. She and John are the parents of five children. They and their eight grandchildren are; Margaret (William) Ketcham of Chicago, their daughter (Angelica); Paul (Maureen) Derwent of Wheaton, IL, their children (Murphy, twins Andrew and Alice); Thomas (Christine) Derwent of Granger, IN, their son (Alexander); Mark (Kim Scott) Derwent of Ada, MI, their daughters (Mary, Hannah); and John J. Derwent of Evanston, IL, his daughter (Sabrina).

Teaching mathematics was Mary Lou’s passion. Over the course of many decades (1958-60, 1974-2009) she taught from pre-school (as the math/science teacher one day a week during the year when her youngest child entered pre-school) to graduate school in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program at the University of Notre Dame for eleven years.

She spent 20 years in the mathematics department of St. Joseph High School, 8 semesters teaching mathematics to freshman students at IUSB and 12 years with the Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education program teaching graduate students during the summer and mentoring them during the school year. In addition, after her retirement, she volunteered at 3 local grade schools: namely, St. Adalbert School, St. Jude School and St. Joseph School, South Bend. She helped with preparation for math contests or in teaching once a week advanced algebra concepts to eighth grade students who agreed to do the extra work. Why these schools? It was these schools where her former graduate students were the new teachers!

In 1988, Mary Lou received the Presidential Award in Mathematics Education for the state of Indiana and became a member of the Council of Presidential awardees in Mathematics (CPAM). After her selection she was selected as Secretary for CPAM for three years and has participated in its national Scholarship Committee 2013-18. During the period of her teaching at St. Joseph High School, she was awarded NSF (National Science Foundation) grants to attend summer school programs at Princeton University, Dartmouth University, the University of Chicago and Colorado School of Mines. In 1990 she was among the first group of national mathematics teacher awardees for recognition as national Tandy Technology Scholars. These recognitions all came with generous monies to be used in her classroom at St. Joseph High School as well as in support of her further educational opportunities.

An interesting part of Mary Lou’s later life of teaching was being recruited by the “People To People” national student travel organization to be a leader with local high school students in summer travels around the world. Australia was her favorite trip as she and the students lived for a time at an outback station. Other P2P trips took her and students to Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Portugal and the British Isles.

In addition to her husband, children and grandchildren, Mary Lou is survived by a sister Joanne (Albert) Palko of Storrs, CT; three brothers: Thomas J. Duff of Phoenixville, PA , John F. Duff (Rae Ann) of Wayland, MA, and James R. Duff of Oakton, VA. as well as many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, a sister and two sisters-in-law.

Visitation with the family and a wake service will be held on December 5, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.  with a Mass of Christian burial to follow at St. Joseph Catholic Church, South Bend, IN. Burial will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Notre Dame, IN. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Christ Child Society, 2366 Miracle Lane, Mishawaka, IN 46545, or St. Joseph High School, 453 N. Notre Dame Ave., South Bend, IN 46617, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.