The Fort Belleville Cemetery in Belleville, WV will be cared for with help from a new endowment fund created at the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) by the late Mary Flinn Seligman.

Mary grew up in Belleville, WV, graduated from Parkersburg High School, and trained at St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing as a registered nurse. She proudly served during World War II as a Navy nurse holding the rank of lieutenant and earning the Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. Mary worked as a nurse throughout her life at various hospitals and retired as the Plant Nurse from the O. Ames Company. After retirement she served her community in various ways, on the Belpre Tree Commission and for Washington Community Action. At 80 she was thrilled to accept a job (and loved the uniform) at the Wayne National Forest Visitor Center. Mary enjoyed knitting hats to sell and raise money for Fort Belleville Cemetery, a Civil War era cemetery she adopted and maintained in Belleville, WV.

Mary passed away, at the age of 100, on November 22, 2021. In her estate plans, she left a generous gift to create a support fund for the Fort Belleville Cemetery. In addition, in lieu of flowers, she asked friends and family to donate to her fund. Her gift created the Fort Belleville Cemetery Support Fund, which will make an annual distribution for the preservation and maintenance of the cemetery.

Persons who wish to make a charitable gift to the Fort Belleville Cemetery Support Fund can mail a check (payable to the PACF with fund name on memo line) to PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26101-1762 or donate online. Other forms of donation may be made by calling the Foundation’s office at 304.428.4438.