Mary Hook Korty

Mary Hook Korty died Monday, June 9, 2025, in College Station, Texas. She was 74.

She was born Mary Armistead Hook in Houston on February 18, 1951, to the late Henry Lewis Hook and Mary Ainsworth Hook, but she lived most of her life in Portsmouth, Virginia. She graduated from Churchland High School in 1969, and from the College of William and Mary in 1973 with a degree in history. It was there that she met Robert David Korty, whom she married at Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth on June 23, 1973.

Mary began teaching in Portsmouth Public Schools in 1974. For the first few years she taught at Manor High School, but she soon returned to teach at her alma mater, Churchland. There she taught world geography and world history classes and enjoyed the company of many cherished colleagues and friends. She taught more than 10,000 students during her 47 years on the faculty. In the year before she retired, the Churchland chapter of the History National Honor Society was named in her honor.

She was a sixth-generation member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, where she also taught nursery school during the 1980s. She was a charter member of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, and worshiped at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in College Station, during the last years of her life. She was a member of the Portsmouth Service League and Colonial Dames of America.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 52 years, Robert David Korty of College Station; her two sons, Robert Lindsay Korty of College Station, and David Armistead Korty and his wife Lauren of San Diego, Calif.; two granddaughters, Rebecca Ann Korty and Katherine Lindsay Korty of San Diego; her brother Andrew H. Hook and his wife Maureen of Virginia Beach, Va.; four nieces; and many friends who supported her during her illness in the last years of her life. Their friendship, kindness, and support were blessings to her and her family.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Saturday, July 12 at 11 a.m. A reception for family and friends will follow in the Parish Hall. Memorial contributions can be made to the Aggieland Humane Society, the Portsmouth Humane Society, or to the Book of Remembrance at Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth.