The Talbot County Garden Club has installed a memorial garden at the entrance to the Talbot County Free Library in Easton to honor Mary Frances Packard who passed away in January at the age of 97. Mary Frances was an Easton resident, business owner and dedicated community leader.

In addition to serving as President of the Talbot County Garden Club (1993-1995), she was President of the Library Board of Trustees (2004-2012).

According to Scotti Oliver, the library’s Assistant Director, “Mary Frances was one of the library’s greatest advocates and champions. In her last year as President, she played an integral role on the building committee for the 2012 renovation of the Easton Branch Library, always acting in the library’s best interests. She also created a memorial fund with the Library Foundation in honor of her husband, Dr. A. Gibson Packard.”

Interestingly, it was Dr. Packard, a local orthopedic surgeon, who as a metal arts hobbyist was urged by his wife to recondition a dilapidated fountain that he expertly turned into the Town of Easton’s stately, ever-visible landmark at the five-way intersection in Idlewild Park.

Family and friends contributed to the Mary Frances Packard Memorial Garden project, which includes new materials and plants from Mary Frances’s personal garden. Garden Design of Easton provided design and installation assistance. Garden club members will maintain the site along with the other library gardens already in their care.