Mary Burch (Tracy) Ford, 78, of Concord, MA, died peacefully at The Gardens at Newbury Court on Wednesday, October 2, 2019. She was the loving wife of Brian W. Ford. She was born on November 27, 1940, in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was seven, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. After attending Catholic elementary, middle, and high schools, she attended Trinity College in Washington, D.C., eventually being elected President of her class. However, rather than graduating, she withdrew, worked in Baltimore and then London, England, and joined the Peace Corps in 1967. She served for two years in the Peace Corps in a Social Center in Senegal, West Africa, with a kindergarten, adult literacy classes, and prenatal health classes among its offerings. Some months after her return to the United States she married Brian Ford, whom she had met while he too was serving in Senegal as a Volunteer. The Fords moved to Boston, where Burch, as she was now mostly known, finished college at night at Boston University, magna cum laude, while working in several capacities at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. She then earned a Master's Degree in Social Work at Simmons College, and after some time as a private therapist, was appointed the first full-time residential counselor at Groton School, where she served for ten years. From Groton she went to Milton Academy as Dean of Students, then was appointed Head of School at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, in 1993. Her fifteen-year tenure at Miss Porter's was marked by a new library, named now the M. Burch Tracy Ford Library, a swimming pool and squash center, many new residences on or near campus for faculty, and a boost in the school's athletic programs, as well as successful fund-raising. Most important to her, however, were the warm relationships with generations of students, with the alumnae (known as "Ancients"), with colleagues, and with her Board of Trustees. Upon retiring, she served on multiple Boards, including the Maranyundo Girls School in Rwanda, King's Academy in Jordan, and the Council for International Educational Exchange. Alzheimer's Disease eventually put an end to her life of service. She is survived by her husband, her two sons, H. Winfield Ford and Randolph B. Ford, and Randolph's wife Tianlin Wang Ford, and their two granddaughters, Elizabeth Corrigan Wang Ford and Rosamund Burch Wang Ford. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate her life during a memorial service in Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord on Thursday, October 31st at 2 pm. A reception will follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Miss Porter's School, 60 Main Street, Farmington, CT 06032 (www.porters.org). Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.