Mary Hauck Grodnik, 80, of Connestee Falls died Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020b at the Oaks in Brevard after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was born Sept. 14, 1940, in Neffsville, Pa., a small town in the heart of Amish country, to Charles and Bernice Hauck. In 1958, she graduated from Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pa., where she was valedictorian. Mary graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in biology, then obtained a master's in political science at Boston College. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1973 where she worked for UC Berkeley as a field supervisor for various national health and social science surveys. Later in life she became a medical transcriptionist She met her husband-to-be, Jim Grodnik, at a Bay Area running club in 1990, and they were married seven years later. They moved to Connestee Falls in 2005. Mary thrived on sports, playing field hockey in college, and then becoming a pioneer in women's running in the 1970s. She became hooked on running after running 10 miles on a track at age 35, calling it an emotionally uplifting experience. She ran several marathons, including a personal best of 3 hours, 30 minutes when she was in her early 40s. After double hip replacement, Mary could no longer run, so she badgered her doctor into letting her take up race walking, where she also excelled, winning at the local and state senior games, then competing in the National Senior Games in 2011. If that weren't enough, she then took up sprinting, earning a silver medal at the North Carolina Senior Games. There, struggling in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, she was guided down the 100-meter track by a generous fellow competitor. It was her last race. Mary was very much attached to her dogs: first Captain, a wire-haired terrier, then Labrador retrievers Penny, Peaches, Glenn and Gracie. Mary was avid reader, but avoided books with unhappy endings by checking out the last chapter before beginning a book. Her favorite author was Angela Thirkell, who wrote a series of novels about fictional villages in rural England. Mary often attended the society's annual conventions where Thirkell fans sometimes dressing in costumes of the characters. She loved music and sometimes expressed regret at not becoming a music teacher. A fan of Baroque music, she played piano, French horn and violin. Mary was a member of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shephard, where she sang in the choir and played in the bell choir. At Connestee Falls she enjoyed hiking, swimming and pickleball. She is survived by husband Jim Grodnik of Connestee Falls, nephew Steven Orvell of Berkeley, Calif., and niece Sara Wood of Encinitas, Calif. She was preceded in death by her brother Andrew and sister Betty. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service is planned at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com.