Mary Ahearn

Mary was born in Corona, Queens, New York on December 8, 1936, to Gerardo and Palma Avena. She joined her older sister, Natalie, and an extended family located all over New York City and its surrounding boroughs. Early in her life, she discovered what would become a lifelong passion for helping others (especially animals) and a love of cooking. Throughout her lifetime, she mastered countless Italian recipes that delighted all who were fortunate enough to have tasted her delicious cooking. Her YouTube cooking channel was popular all over the world and she had countless fans who wrote to her about her dishes on marycooks@youtube.com.

After graduating from Hunter College (CUNY), she became a Kindergarten teacher, delighting her students with her energy and enthusiasm. Her husband’s career as an Exxon executive and as an entrepreneur led them on numerous new adventures across the globe. They lived in Milburn, New Jersey Tulsa, Oklahoma; Westport, Connecticut, Houston, Texas, and Cleveland, Ohio, gaining new, lifelong friends wherever they lived.

Her first child, John, was born in 1968, and her second child, Allison in 1971. Once Mary became a mother, she devoted all her waking hours to loving and raising her two children. She called upon her gifts as a teacher to educate, illuminate, and entertain them throughout her life. When Mary’s children were young, the phrase “stay-at-home-mom” didn’t exist. It was usual for women to stay home with the children while their husbands worked. But even by the standards of the era, Mary was an exceptional wife and mother who cared deeply for her family and friends, and volunteered her time at their schools. In fact, her initial project, a Halloween Haunted House at Memorial Drive Elementary School in Houston in 1978 is still a tradition that is held every year to this day.

Mary’s Hobbies included sculpting, stained glass artwork, and a love of the theater. She spent her last 12 years of life as a resident of Naples, Florida. Mary is survived by her daughter, Allison, her son, John, and her husband of 62 years, George, and four grandchildren, Christian, Lauren, Alexis, and Sophia. In lieu of flowers, her family recommends donations to the Naples Humane Society or the Geauga Humane Society, Russell, Ohio. A Celebration of Mary’s Life will be held at Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens (525 111th Ave. N. Naples, FL 34108) on Saturday, June 11th at 1:00pm.