Mary passed away peacefully at home on December 7, 2021 in the company of her loved ones.

Born on January 20, 1928 in Astoria, Mary grew up in Laurelton, New York. After graduating from Andrew Jackson High School, she worked her way through Hofstra University, where she met the love of her life, Ernie. There are conflicting accounts of how they met, Mary’s more sensible, that they met at a fraternity party in Hempstead, but it was clear a romance bloomed and they were engaged to be married six-months after their first date. Their ceremony was on June 29, 1952 at St. Claire’s Church in Rosedale and following the reception at the Swan Club in Huntington they decided, despite their desire to honeymoon in Havana, Cuba, they only had enough money to drive to Miami so that’s what they did.

Mary’s career in publishing started and ended at Doubleday where she was promoted several times and always relished her office overlooking the ice-skating rink at Rockefeller Center. She and Ernie moved to Massapequa in 1957.  Mary had a love of travel with an extensive list of journeys, visiting many countries in South America, Europe and Asia. The favorite trip of her life was to Istanbul, Turkey with her brother Jack and sister-in-law Fran. Later in life she caught the golf bug and became an avid, and accomplished, player. She also had many fond memories of her summers at her second home in the Adirondacks called “Sekon”.  She would summer there with her children while Ernie would run the family printing business and commute up on weekends. This forced her to become adept at baiting fishing hooks, pulling water skiers and making fires.

Mary is pre-deceased by her loving husband Ernie, and her first son Philip, as well as her brother Jack Hodgkins and sister-in-law Francis Hodgkins. She was the cherished and adored “Mimi” to her grandchildren, Mikayla Jade and John Carter Menkes. She is survived by her second son, Leslie and her beloved daughter-in-law Carleen, as well as her loyal companion, Jaqi the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (who will miss her terribly).  She is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Tera Reese, of North Carolina.