Mary Genovese

When Mary Genovese walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Mary was and how she impacted those around her. Mary was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Mary wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Mary was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Mary was born on November 14, 1921 at home in New York City, N.Y. She was the daughter of Mariano and Caterina. Mary was raised in New York City. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Mary might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Mary was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Mary was raised with three siblings. She had two brothers Anthony and Salvatore, and one sister Josephine. Mary was very accepting and supportive of her family. Her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Mary was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types.

During her high school years, Mary responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1930. Mary was a very good student, and did well in her courses. Mary absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments.

Mary did well in college, as a result of her comfort level with tackling new theories and her love of learning. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from City College in 1992. She also pursued graduate school, earning her Masters in Education from L. I. U., Brooklyn New York where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Mary was very adaptable, a quality that helped her make the transition from high school to college with little difficulty. Mary was always in quest of new things to learn and experience

On February 2, 1952 Mary married Frank Genovese at Church of Most Holy Reedemer in New York City, New York.

Mary was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Mary, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Mary's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Mary was blessed with six children: four sons, Frank, Robert, James and John, and two daughters, Mary and Nancy. They were also blessed with eight grandchildren, Jimmy, Kate, Kira, Andriano, Alia-Lauren, Amelie-Ash, Anna-Elise and Claudia.

Mary was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was Teacher. She was employed for as New York City teacher for 15 years. Mary was enterprising and inventive. In her later years many of her students, now grown into adulthood would greet her on the streets and recall with fondness their days as teacher and student.

Because Mary loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were fashion, dress design and gardening. Mary had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Mary's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Mary was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of Most Precious Blood Church for 59 years. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Mary was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Ginger, a French poodle dog, was a best friend for 14 years.

When Mary's retirement finally came in 2004, Mary handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Mary to master. In retirement, she found new pleasure in sewing. Even in retirement, Mary continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Mary Genovese passed away on March 11, 2012 at North Shore LIJ Hospital in Manhasset, New York. She is survived by her children Frank, Robert, Mary, James, John, Nancy and her eight grandchildren. Services were held at Most Precious Blood Church. Mary was laid to rest in Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, New York.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Mary. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Mary Genovese for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Mary was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.