Celebration of Life Service: 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 24, 2018
Location: Weymouth Funeral Home Chapel
Reception: Following the Service
Location: Weymouth Funeral Home
Mary “Mimi” Stroster Zoby of Newport News, VA passed away in the early morning of March 10, 2018 at her home. She was 79 years young. Mimi grew up in Norfolk, VA and attended Norfolk Catholic High School. She married Vince Zoby, one of the nuns’ pet students, and moved to the Peninsula.
She is sadly missed by her husband, Vince, of 56 years, and their dog, Rufus; her 4 children, Elizabeth Zoby-Moore and her husband, Patrick of Norfolk, Ken Zoby and his wife, Kristen of Newport News, David Zoby of Casper, Wyoming, and Jennifer Custis and her husband, Ben of Florida; her sister, Jane Joyner and her husband, Richard of Norfolk and their two children, Katie Carrier and Evin Shaw; and her step- granddaughter, Kathleen Christensen and her husband, Gabriel and their two children, Anthony and Rosalie
Mimi was a world traveler who enjoyed hiking with her group of close friends. The Shenandoah Valley, The Blue Ridge Mountains, Old Rag and Peaks of Otter were her introduction into wild places. Hiking and her appreciation of National Parks took her West, to Arizona, Wyoming, and Montana. Twice she made it to Alaska, hiking in Denali Park and setting out to whale watch on Kachemak Bay. In 2012, she toured China extensively, coming back with hundreds of photographs and stories which always emphasized the dignity of others.
Mimi was an avid reader. She read nonfiction, particularly biographies of American figures; Thomas Jefferson confounded her, and she spent much time trying to unravel his philosophy. She loved authors such as Douglas Brinkley, Stephen Ambrose, and William Styron. Even late in her illness, she kept her curiosity stimulated with books on CD. She was listening to Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek this winter.
All four of Mimi’s children attended Virginia Tech. She became a football fan. Returning to campus even when her children moved on, she and her husband were season ticket holders who spent glorious fall weekends in Blacksburg. So avid did she become, that she had strong opinions about whether the team should go for it on fourth down or punt.
Mimi stayed involved in politics her whole life, beginning with marches for social justice in the 70s, attending the Million Mom March in 2000, and continuing, by working the polls all the way up to 2016. She believed in equality for all, and lived her life with that in mind. Though she saw the world, she was closely linked to Tidewater and loved nothing more than drinking a Dirty Martini in the Outer Banks. So let’s end the story in Duck, North Carolina. It’s been a long hot day. It’s August. Towels are drying on the line. The surf is kicking up, the tide all the way to the first step of the landing.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Weymouth Funeral Home in Newport News on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at11:00am with a reception following at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Peninsula SPCA.