Mary MacRue Lowrance Stagg

1934 - 2025

Mary MacRue Lowrance Stagg

March 5, 1934 - December 8, 2025

Mary McRue Lowrance Stagg died peacefully on December 8, 2025 in Richmond, VA.

She was born in Statesville, NC on March 5, 1934 and graduated in the Class of 1952 from Statesville High School. Mary received her BA from Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. After obtaining her MSW in 1963 from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Social Work, Mary moved to Richmond to be the Case Works Supervisor for the Department of Welfare and Institutions.

Mary met Bill Stagg on a Richmond Ski Club trip to the Homestead. Mary was active throughout her life, riding horses, playing tennis as part of an ongoing foursome for 40 years, skiing with Bill and her daughters, and hiking in Jackson Hole. She loved a good book, seeking out independent book stores and sharing favorites with friends. Mary was a member of the National Association of Social Workers and The Country Club of Virginia. She was often found at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, where she taught Sunday School, worked at the Mayfair House and was a member of the Altar Guild among other things.

Mary's true care for people and ability to connect with others was evident in the large and small moments of her life. She was generous with her time, ready to talk life, current events and Carolina basketball and remained young at heart. She will be deeply missed.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Carrie Lowrance; her sisters, Caroline J. Pedersen and Ann Sharpe Brady; her husband, William Lee Stagg III; stepchildren, David L. Stagg and Jamie S. Tinsley; and grandson, Adam D. Nimaga. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Catherine Nimaga and Elizabeth L Stagg; her granddaughter, Miriam C Nimaga; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 in the Westminster Canterbury Sanctuary. Mary will be interred at St. Stephen's Church in a private service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Adam D. Nimaga Endowment at Collegiate School, 103 North Mooreland Road, Richmond, VA 23229; the Anna Julia Cooper School 2100 N 29th Street, Richmond, VA 23223; or the Westminster Canterbury Foundation, 1600 Westbrook Avenue, Richmond, VA 23227.