Mary Jane Lloyd De Genaro died on November 21st, 2020 in Rowayton, CT. She was 85.

Mary Jane lived life her way, described by many as “an original.” A childhood friend described her as “a unique treasure, brilliant, funny, amazing in her approach to life.” Another longtime friend called her “singular in every way.” At Edgehill for all of 18 months, she left a deep impression, bringing “so much love and sunshine” and “sparkle and talent.”

Mary Jane had a love for the arts and was full of ideas. This combo means she often acted upon her ideas, leaving an impact wherever she lived. She started organizations to bring people to the arts, she created musicians through her innovative piano teaching, she championed opera in Greenwich CT and Sarasota, FL. One such organization was the Greenwich Arts Council, which in its first year brought students to the Hirshhorn Estate to see their sculpture garden before they moved to Washington DC. Another was Opera Action where guest speakers talked about an opera, and residents took a bus into Manhattan to the Metropolitan Opera, making opera more accessible. 

A pioneer music educator, Mary Jane was one of the first teachers to adopt the Pace Piano Method. In 1985 she created "MusicShapes", educational software for the Apple IIGS. 

She published a novel "Call It Paradise" and wrote the musical "Rajah" performed in Sarasota, FL. 

Mary Jane grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, and lived in Greenwich CT, Manhattan, Roxbury CT, Boca Grande FL and Sarasota FL before returning to CT. She married George De Genaro in 1976. 

Mary Jane attended Queen of All Saints Primary (Brooklyn), St Andrew Avellino School (Flushing), Dominican Academy, Manhattan where she was class president all four years, and described as "so enthusiastic about everything that you can't help wanting to cooperate with her." She earned her BA in Music from Smith College & Sarah Lawrence, and an MA from Columbia University Teachers College. 

She is survived by 3 daughters, 3 stepchildren, 12 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter. 

To be notified of the memorial, scheduled for Wednesday December 9th at 3:00 eastern time. Add to your calendar by clicking on the button in the upper right. 

Here is a photo album of moments in Mary Jane's life. Copy & Paste the entire URL (it might wrap across 3 lines) into your browser, then CLICK on the first photo to start the slide show: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOxBfg-mC5sAI678PSoLIpM0CzX7N_V7DftuP2XfbCgwxdKKt917JbsFed4e5d7Dg?key=b3NHNnZvYUloRDdCU1Q5bVV5TXMwallIUnlIMnhn