Mary Elizabeth Keady

With sadness, we announce the passing on March 12, 2023 of Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Keady, affectionately known as “The Fast Stepper”, our devoted mother, grandmother and friend. With her sons and daughters by her side, Mary died peacefully in her home. Born January 2, 1932 to Dr. John Joseph Kennedy and Elizabeth L. Reichert, Mary grew up in Ridgewood, NJ, attended the Benedictine Academy and graduated in 1953 from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana.

On October 2, 1954, Mary married J. Walter Keady Jr. also from Ridgewood, NJ.  For 59 years, they lived in Ramsey, NJ where they raised six children and were members of the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church and the Ramsey Golf & Country Club. 

For more than seven decades, Mary made her husband, her children and their friends feel welcomed and at home in a rustic, century-old summer cabin in Harrington, ME.  She chaired The Howard Robbins Scholarship Fund for 20 years. The Fund provides grants to Harrington students pursuing a college degree.

An avid reader, Mary served as volunteer librarian at the St. Paul’s School.  She earned an MS in Library Science from Long Island University in 1985 and became Assistant Director of the Ramsey Free Public Library from which she retired in 1997.

Mary was also active in the Rosary Society, was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. She cherished the friendships she made through bridge groups at St. John’s and Valley Hospital. She also enjoyed bowling, golf, puzzles, knitting and her book club.

Mary is survived by her children, Claire, Boston, MA; Kevin (Barbara), Darien, CT; Kathleen (Bob), Harrington Park, NJ; Walter (Mary), Little Egg Harbor, NJ; Christopher (Kathleen), Northville, MI; and Mary Carroll (MC) (John), Boulder, CO. She was loved by 15 grandchildren: Oliver Keady; Elizabeth, James (Jessie), Charlie and Regan Keady; Chris, Patrick (Ashley), Michaela and Connor Keady; Sumer and Sarah Keady; and Olivia, Harry, Maggie and Frankie Pfeiffer.

The family will receive visitors from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 at the Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey. A mass in remembrance of Mary will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, at the St. Paul RC Church in Ramsey with burial to follow alongside her husband, Walter, at the Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Howard Robbins Scholarship Fund, c/o C. Keady, 6223 Warrens Way, Wanaque, NJ 07465 or The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) at 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203. 

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