Mary E. McGann

July 22, 1945 - April 27, 2022

Mary E McGann believed that she was blessed with a great life, many wonderful friends, and a wonderful son. She thought of herself as a teacher and enjoyed teaching the many students she taught in the US and abroad. She was born on July 22, 1945, in Newport Rhode Island and she grew up there on the Atlantic Ocean, treasuring the sea even when life brought her to live in the landlocked Midwest. She always tried to return to Newport at least once a year. In 1976 she married Timothy James Wiles in Newport at her parents’ home. She cherished Tim as her husband for 27 years. In 1989 the couple adopted a baby boy, David Timothy Wiles. That beloved son survives her. The couple lived in Bloomington and Tim taught English and Dramatic Literature at Indiana University. Mary earned her BA from Salve Regina University and received her Ph.D. in 1979 from IU. Mary loved to travel and host parties wherever she was. She loved teaching and in addition to teaching at different universities, she taught at the University of Warsaw, Poland, Ningbo Technological University in The People’s Republic of China, and the University of Athens, Greece. She also taught workshops in American Literature for the United States Information Service in Hungary and Poland. She made friends wherever she was and enjoyed life wherever she went. She taught at the University of Cincinnati, the Ohio State University, Rhode Island College (Providence), and in 1990 joined the English faculty at the University of Indianapolis; there she taught for twenty-three years, earning a full Professorship, and retiring in 2011. In 2013 she returned to Poland as a Senior Fulbright Lecturer. Mary Is predeceased by her husband Tim who died in 2003, her brother, John Jr, her father John, and her Mother Rose Hein McGann. She is survived by her three sisters Barbra McGann, Debbie Ripley, and Denise McGann, and her beloved son, David Timothy Wiles, and his partner Katherine Emmert. Donations in the memory of Mary McGann can be made to The Bloomington Playwrights project which Tim and Mary dedicated much of their time and energy to. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:00 pm Saturday May 21, 2022 at the St Paul’s Catholic Center in Bloomington. With Father Dennis Woerter officiating. Visitation will be held from 11:00 am Saturday May 21, 2022 until service time at the church. Cremation Rites have been accorded Allen Funeral Home and Crematory have been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with the family and friends at www.allencares.com