Mary Collins Byrne passed away Saturday, July 2, 2022.
Words cannot capture what a beautiful life Mary Collins Byrne led. Everyday was a chance to share a smile and tell a friend she loved them. She shone like a bright star in an otherwise empty sky; never letting illness, loss, hurt, or any other of life’s struggles dim her positive outlook or her eagerness to care for others.
Growing up in Wake Forest, M.C., as her friends fondly called her, attended Wake Forest-Rolesville High school then moved to Asheville where she graduated from UNCA with a degree in psychology. After school, M.C. pursued a career as a studio producer for a photography agency, traveling between Chapel Hill and New York City, before co-owning an art gallery in downtown Asheville. When her health made full-time work difficult, instead of slowing down she began her own skin care brand called Mickey and Duck Apothecaries, lovingly named after her and her husband’s nicknames for one another.
With plans to move to Charlotte, M.C. and her husband of 13 years were preparing for an exciting new phase of their life together, where they had vowed to live everyday for the next year in the moment and selflessly for one another. After unexpectedly falling ill during their move, M.C. was transferred from Hendersonville to Charlotte, where her husband was able to lovingly share with her that after all their hard work and excitement, “they had finally made it to Charlotte!” She passed away peacefully, shortly after, with him by her side.
A celebration of M.C.’s life will take place in her home town of Wake Forest, NC at the Wake Forest Cemetery, on Saturday, July 16th at 10:00 am. All are welcome. Please consider, instead of sending flowers, offering a donation to Open Doors of Asheville, one of the charities that M.C. held very dear to her heart. Donations may be made at https://opendoorsasheville.org/donate/standard-donations/ or by mail to Open Doors, 290 Haywood Rd, Suite 204, Asheville, NC 28806.
Bright Funeral home is serving the Byrne family.