Mary MacNeil Killinger

Mary Ann Killinger (née MacNeil), 82, of Flourtown, died peacefully on June 20, 2019 at Blue Bell Place in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania after a long illness. The oldest of five children, Mrs. Killinger was born on March 8, 1937 to Donald and Teresa MacNeil in Brooklyn, New York. A former Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney, Mrs. Killinger spent her professional career as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office, until her retirement in 2008. Beginning with her first assignment in 1979 in the Trials Division, Mrs. Killinger spent 29 years practicing in, and later leading the Trials Division and the Appeals Division for the District Attorney. In all, she worked for five different District Attorneys during her tenure.   After spending her early days in Brooklyn, Mrs. Killinger moved with her family to Teaneck, New Jersey, where they lived for eight years before moving to nearby Tenafly. Mrs. Killinger graduated from the Academy of the Holy Angels in 1955, and from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1959 with a degree in English. Following graduation, she pursued a master’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh. After completing her Master’s, she moved to New York City, and worked as an Editor at Industrial Design Magazine. While in New York, she was set up on a blind date with Scott Killinger of Hebron, Nebraska. They shared interests in music and the arts, which continued for the next 50 years. Mary Ann and Scott were married on June 12, 1965 in New York. After a brief time in New York, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Mr. Killinger was to attend graduate school. Mr. and Mrs. Killinger settled in the Whitemarsh Township section of Fort Washington, where they raised their three boys. Mrs. Killinger was an active member of the William Jeanes Library in Whitemarsh and remained active in the community at large throughout her life. After the boys started school, Mrs. Killinger enrolled in Villanova University School of Law in 1975 and graduated cum laude in 1978. After clerking in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas for Judge Horace Davenport, Mrs. Killinger joined the District Attorney’s office in 1979. She would remain in the office until her retirement in 2008. Mrs. Killinger was an active member of the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, and she mentored countless young Assistant District Attorneys over her 29 years. Mr. and Mrs. Killinger were married for 54 years. When they weren’t spending time with their many friends and neighbors, they enjoyed travelling around the world. Their lifelong shared love of music led them to countless symphonies, operas, and musical theater shows. Most of all, Mrs. Killinger took great pride and great pleasure in raising her three boys. She was always a strong presence at school functions, swim meets, water polo games, and spaghetti dinners. Mrs. Killinger is survived by her husband, Scott, and her three sons and their families: Matthew and Diane Killinger (née Lynch) of West Chester, PA, and their children Rebecca, Emily, Mary Katheryn, and William; Daniel and Heather Killinger (née Snyder) of Wyndmoor, PA, and their children Ramsay and James; and James and Elga Killinger (née Jefferis) of New York City, and their children Jefferis and Anna. In honor of Mary Ann’s commitment to children and her work as an advocate for abused children with Montgomery Child Advocacy Project (MCAP), the Killinger family requests that. in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory to MCAP, care of Mary Pugh, at 409 Cherry Street, Norristown, PA 19401. Gifts may also be made via MCAP’s website: www.mcapkids.org/donate.