Wilmington, NC - Mary Alice (Owens) Recupero, age 78, passed away February 3, 2025, at her home in Wilmington, NC. She was born August 12, 1946, in Seattle, WA, to two WWII US Navy veterans, Mary Elizabeth (Wright) Owens and Charles Burr Owens.

Growing up in Meadville, Mary Alice was active in 4-H sewing club and was a voracious reader. In high school she was active in the AV club. Upon graduating from MASH in 1964, Mary Alice enlisted and served in the US Navy. She met Pete Recupero while they were both stationed at Naval Station Norfolk (near Virginia Beach). They married in 1967, and life for them became a 58-year adventure. He survives.

The Recupero family of two became a family of three with the arrival of their daughter Lisa. After both separated from the service, Pete began a career with IBM which required frequent transfers. Mary Alice studied anthropology, worked as a realtor, and eventually took a secretarial position with IBM. Having been exposed to so many regions of the country, it was easy for them to choose North Carolina when they both retired in 2000.

In retirement, Mary Alice and Pete took to gardening, reading, running her own little eBay empire before eBay was a household name, and running an antique mall booth. In 2005, she developed a passion for Bonsai. She and Pete traveled all over the country to shows and educational programs, held regular workshops in her home, and for a time served as president of the Cape Fear Bonsai Society.

Mary Alice was preceded in death by her parents and her son-in-law Jacob Wishard. She is survived by her husband Pete Recupero, their daughter Lisa Wishard, and granddaughter Josephine Wishard, her siblings Linda Peelman (William), Beth Chappel, and Thomas Owens (Patty), nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A private celebration of life will be held at a future date.