A bright light went out in this world on November 29, 2021, when Mary Durey Poole died in Denver, Colorado. Mary had been hospitalized in late August with heart disease, and was discharged to home hospice care in September. In her final months, she enjoyed visits from all her children and grandchildren, to whom she was deeply devoted, and she lived to celebrate her 90th birthday on November 14th. She died peacefully at home in the care of her children, just as she wished, with the same grace, good humor, and generosity of spirit that characterized her life.

 

Mary was born in Delaware, Iowa to the late William O. and Gertrude Durey, and spent most of her young life in Springfield, Minnesota. She attended Carlton College, and graduated Phi Betta Kappa from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in English. She married Robert C. (Bob) Poole in Des Moines, Iowa, in December, 1952.

 

The couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1958, where Mary fully embraced a life dedicated to family, community service, and later, significant professional endeavors. She engaged actively in the lives of her four children, assuming leadership roles in the PTA, Girls Scouts and the YWCA, among others. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, quilting and entertaining, and cultivated a warm, welcoming, well-organized home.

 

Mary was the consummate community volunteer, tapped again and again for her leadership abilities. She was active in the Junior League, serving as President of the Junior League of Albuquerque, and later as President of the Association of Junior Leagues International. She served on numerous boards, including United Way and the Albuquerque Academy, and as president of the Albuquerque Community Foundation and the University of New Mexico Foundation. She was elegant and practical in the same breath.

 

Never one to sit still, Mary grew and challenged herself throughout her life. As her children became more independent, she joined the paid workforce, simultaneously earning her master’s degree in Public Administration. She was employed by Southwest Community Health Services as Vice President of Community Relations and Development and as the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation. She continued her volunteer work as well, serving nationally on the board and as President of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. After Bob’s death in 1992, Mary worked as a Senior Partner for Research and Studies for Jerold Panas Linzy & Partners, a premier national consulting firm for philanthropy.  

 

Even after Mary moved to Denver in 2004 and began to “slow down,” she didn’t. She continued to travel extensively, read voraciously, kept abreast of and engaged in current affairs, frequented cultural attractions, wrote poetry (some of it published), and self-published a memoir.  She was a remarkable, multi-talented woman with boundless energy and a kind and generous heart.    

 

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, and her oldest sister, Patricia Murphy.  She is survived by her four children:  Lauren Poole (Charles Masten), Diana Poole (Steve Lass), David Poole (Winona Poole), and Anne-Marie Poole (Jonathan Rosenberg); six grandchildren: Jana Elias (Pedro Elias), Kendra Poole, Aaron Poole, Zachary Lass, Sarah Lass, and Sam Lass (Stevie Lass); and two great-grandchildren: Ellie Mae Lass and Gabriel Elias.  Other survivors include two sisters, Nancy Glusker (David Glusker) and Kay Johnson (Terry Johnson); sister-in-law Arden Poole and brother-in-law Stan Murphy; many nieces, nephews, and cousins; and her beloved companion for the past seven years, Paul Goodspeed.

 

Mary’s ashes will be interred at Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque, alongside those of her late husband, Bob.