June 15 1924 September 29 2019 (age 95)
Mary Bernadine Bryan was born 6/15/24, to Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Bryan (Sarge) of Federal Hill. She grew up and went to parochial schools in the area. She was predeceased by her husband, John William (Bill) Smith, her sister M. Patricia Henley, and her nephew Christopher Henley. She is survived by her long-time friend, June Gleadall, her Godchildren, Brett Gleadall, Gigi Gleadall Rosenblatt, and Lindsey Gleadall Bohra, her close friends, Dee and Dave Gould, and her devoted friend and caregiver, Nathalie Robinson. Mary and I met when we both worked at Loyola Federal S&L Assn., in the early 1950’s. We formed a special bond and always said we felt more like sisters than we did with our own. Mary always wanted to have her own business so she jumped at the chance to buy joint ownership in the Joy-Ru Beauty Shop on Harford Road. She knew nothing about fixing hair (except her own), but she was a natural and soon earned her license. She spent many years in the shop and even learned to work on the heads of deceased persons. She did my mother’s hair when she died. Mary and Bill were a fun couple who liked to dance, enjoyed Barber-Shop quartets and travel. They made many trips to the islands and were especially fond of Puerto Rico. Mary became interested in Spanish (before it was PC to do so) and studied the Spanish language quite extensively. One of her favorite songs was Sabora Mi, which she liked to sing in Spanish. We lived only a few blocks away from each other and spent almost every weekend and holidays together and always had a lot of laughs. Her one bitter disappointment in life was in not having children. She suffered through five miscarriages (the first occurring when she had carried for five months). After the last one and when she couldn’t get any assurances from her doctor, she decided not to try any more. Today they could have probably give her hope, but fifty years ago that wasn’t possible. When I had my children, she and Bill naturally became their Godparents and “Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill” encouraged them and attended all their functions. They played a big role in helping with my family when I had a near fatal auto accident when the kids were young. Mary had already given up the beauty business and was bookkeeper at Octavia’s Dress Salon (a very swanky shop in Cross Keys that catered to wealthy clients). While I was recovering from my accident, Mary encouraged me to come to work with her on a part-time basis. She would pick me up (crutches and all) and take me to work. We had fun paying bills to Oscar de la Rents, et al, and felt as though we knew them personally. We tried on a lot of clothes and spent most of our salaries on things that we bought there (the ones we could afford and trinkets). We even took a short trip to Nassau and of course, laughed all the way. My crutches earned us much good seating and special treatment Of course you are familiar with Mary’s love of the water. While living in Loch Raven Village and while we still worked at Loyola, she bought a tiny condo in O.C., from one of our friends at work. When I say tiny, I mean TINY! It sat right on the sand and had formerly been the sales office for the building above it. Four people had difficulty turning around without bumping into each other. It was cute though, and we had many good times there. Once when she and I went down,other. It was cute though, and we had many good times there. Once when she and I went down, a storm had come in, and the sand sat like a dune and covered the one high window in the place. It was scary but also rather exciting. She eventually moved to Arnold and the shore property on Forest Drive. I remember one night when we wanted to be adventurous, she and I spent the night sleeping out on the pier. It’s a wonder we didn’t fall in. Mary went through a terrible time when she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in her relatively young life. She stayed for a time with her parents, and she told me how she would walk the streets at night with voices sounding in her head until she could almost scream. She didn’t know until much later that some psych problems went hand in hand with the disease. After a “mini” operation, she then went through the full ileostomy and had many years of adjustment and sometimes embarrassing experiences. Bill was a godsend and changed her appliance when she couldn’t or refused to do it. I don’t know how she would have made it without him. He adored her (and had since they were both growing up in the same neighborhood) and would do anything for her. They made it through, but it was a constant source of worry her whole life. Who knows, this may have contributed to her dementia in later years. She really was never the same once she entered Charlestown and felt that she had lost control of her life. It pained me when Gigi and I visited recently, and I saw my dearest friend (the one who was once so vital, had such a head for business and learning, and loved to laugh and dream) reduced to a state where she didn’t even know what she was eating. This ending may befall all of us, but I hope I’m gone long before this may happen to me. A graveside service will be held on Friday October 4, 2019 at 10 AM at Parkwood Cemetery 3310 Taylor Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21234. favorite_border Donations Pledges
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Mary B Smith June 15 1924 September 29 2019 (age 95).
McCully-Polyniak Funeral Home Pennsylvania
Death notice for the town of: Baltimore, state: Maryland