Obituaries and Other Short Stories is an online repository for the writing and research of Mary Paynton Schaff, and was launched on the Ghost platform in March 2025. Site content includes family history, research projects, and non sequiturs into parenting, faith, gaming, and television. If you subscribe, you'll receive access to all the content of the site, as well as an email newsletter that will let you know when new content is available. Your support gives Mary the encouragement to write another day. Thank you!
About Mary
Mary was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, in a loving and affectionate home surrounded by music, history, and storytelling. She graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in English, with an emphasis in creative writing. After several years working in special libraries, Mary completed a Masters in Library and Information Science, also from the UW. She discovered a love of traveling during a study abroad in London, England, and it's a love she now shares with her husband and daughter. Their most recent trip was to Belize in the spring of 2024.
Since 2005, Mary has worked as a librarian at the Washington State Library. She currently serves as Northwest Librarian, and oversees a circulating collection focused on all things Pacific Northwest. Weekdays will find her behind the reference desk, collaborating with customers to help them tell the stories of our families, communities, and government.
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