Marion Woolley Mattingly

Published by The Washington Post on Jan. 23, 2022. MATTINGLY Marion Woolley Mattingly (Age 92) Passed away peacefully on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2021 with several of her children at her side. The daughter of the late HGA and Marion Woolley, she was preceded in death by her son Joseph (Liz) and is survived by her seven other children, Marion Joan (the late James Steinfels), Sean (Laura), Kathleen Diane Thompson (Ken), Patrick (Joan), Thomas, Caroline Lewis, and Jane Blackwell (Gerry). At the time of her death, Marion was grandmother of 28, great-grandmother of 22, and great-great-grandmother of two. As the family matriarch, few holidays or special occasions went by without a large gathering at her home for a meticulously planned meal and celebration. She was also devoted to her community, serving her parish church and her children's schools, as well as being actively engaged in local politics and government. Over the course of her nearly seven-decade career, she played an instrumental role in shaping the nation's juvenile justice system. In the early 1960s, rather than engaging in more traditional activities for a wife and mother of the era, Marion and three friends founded Women on Watch (WOW), a court watching and advocacy program studying court procedures relative to juveniles in Montgomery County, MD. As a result of her work, she was engaged by members of Congress on the issues and played an instrumental role in crafting the legislation in the creation of the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. She went on to spend the rest of her long life advocating for state and federal legislation and with advocacy organizations focused on best practices and outcomes for youth involved with the criminal justice system. She was a founder and first executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, which works with states and territories and constituency groups. She was also appointed by President Ford to the National Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as well as President Reagan and five Maryland governors to serve on special commissions. Marion greatly enjoyed opportunities to travel, especially when given the chance to learn about issues relating to juvenile justice in other countries. Travels included Kuwait, Russia and China as well as extensively throughout Europe. Marion's interests were very broad and her friendships very fast. In addition to an extensive list of youth-related task force commitments, Marion was a longtime advocate for and Board Member of the Capital Area Community Food Bank, the American News Women's Club, Karma House, Inc., the Washington Shakespeare Company and the Florence Crittendon Home. She even took advantage of an opportunity to be a movie extra in Advise and Consent, which was filmed in Washington, DC. Among the many honors bestowed were 1974 Washingtonian of the Year and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Meritorious Service to the Children of America, and dedicated service recognition by the Governor of Maryland, the Montgomery County Sentinel, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce, and the Montgomery County Government. At the time of her death, she was working on her regular column for Juvenile Justice Update, a quarterly publication of the Civic Research Institute. Two of her siblings, Diane Bauer and George Woolley, preceded her in death. She is survived by her brother Herbert Woolley. Services will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Strategies for Youth, or another organization similarly dedicated to her life's work of improving outcomes for youth across the country.In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Strategies for Youth, or another organization similarly dedicated to her life's work of improving outcomes for youth across the country.