Mary Byrne Carroll

Albany- Mary Byrne Carroll, 91, a native of Poughkeepsie, NY and longtime seasonal resident of Venice, Fla. and Nantucket, Mass., died surrounded by her family Tuesday, September 22, 2015 in Albany, NY. Mary Carroll was predeceased by her husband of 56 years, James E. Carroll, a Poughkeepsie, NY attorney. Mary was the daughter of John F. Byrne, a Poughkeepsie builder, and Margaret Daly Byrne. Mary was the Salutatorian of Poughkeepsie High School class of 1941, and a graduate of Vassar College class of 1944-5. She obtained a post graduate degree from SUNY New Paltz. Her only sibling was the late Margaret Byrne Garibaldi, an administrator of the Arlington, NY public school system. Mary’s engagement announcement in the Poughkeepsie Journal was headlined “Brains Plus Beauty,” which perfectly described her. The couple had seven children, many dogs, and lots of adventures in family boating aboard the Hattie on the Hudson River and Long Island Sound and Nantucket Sound. Often sunburned and freckled and most comfortable wearing a bathing suit and straw hat, Mary loved the beach and salt water and went swimming daily into her 90’s. She also enjoyed bicycling, beachcombing and foraging: blueberry and blackberry picking, clamming, and fishing were among some of her favorite activities. At a time when 10 percent of women attended college, Mary graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Mathematics. While at Vassar, Mary was recruited by her mentor, Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, USN, mother of the COBOL computer language and head of the Vassar College Math Department, to work on the Manhattan Project. Mary worked as part of a team that worked day and night to solve the mathematical problems surrounding the development of the Atomic Bomb. During this work, Mary was one of the earliest mathematicians to work with the ENIAC computer. After World War II, Mary worked as an engineer at Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company in Poughkeepsie, NY. She engineered the utility’s power lines that crossed the Hudson River at the Danskammer Point power plant. The construction of the wire ways and the supports over which they were routed was considered an engineering feat at the time. Back then, Mary was the only woman engineer, if not the first, employed at that company. As Mary ascended the ranks at Central Hudson, she learned that she was paid two-thirds of what men in similar positions were paid. After her marriage to Jim Carroll, another Poughkeepsie native, Mary had seven children. This responsibility took Mary away from the Central Hudson Company. Later, with her children approaching college age, Mary went nightly to graduate school at SUNY New Paltz and earned her Master’s Degree so that she could teach high school mathematics. Mary taught mathematics for many years at Our Lady of Lourdes, Poughkeepsie and Arlington high schools. After Jim died in 2005, Mary moved to Avila Assisted Living, where she made many dear friends in that community and wrote for Avila’s newsletter. Mary loved the game of Bridge. Wherever she went, Mary was able to find a card game where she normally won a few quarters from the “pot.” Mary is survived by her children: Attorney John B. Carroll of Malden Bridge, N.Y.; Mary Cathleen Strang and her husband, Robert, of Warwick, R.I.; James E. Carroll and his wife, Maria, of Ballston Lake, N.Y.; Joseph G. Carroll of Old Saybrook, Conn.; Margaret Carroll-Bergman and her husband, Keith, of Concord, Mass.; Dr. Anne Carroll Fernandez, M.D., and her husband, Henry, of Niskayuna, NY; and Thomas G. Carroll and his wife, Pamela, of Southport, Conn. Mary is also survived by her grandchildren: Genevieve Strang Lee (Anthony) and Catheryn Strang, Mary Bergman and Elizabeth Bergman Falco (Tony), James “Edward” and Henry Carroll, and Henry James Fernandez. She is survived by one great-grandchild, Viola Grace Lee. Mary is also survived by J.D. (aka “Jim’s Dog”), a 15 year old Bichon Frise. The family would like to thank Mary’s many care givers who cared for her during her recent illnesses. Funeral services Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 7:30am from the McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen Street, Albany thence to Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, Niskayuna at 8:30am where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Relatives and friends are invited and may visit with Mary’s family on Friday, September 25, 2015 from 4:00 to 6:30 pm in the funeral home. Interment will follow the Mass at St. Peter’s Cemetery, Poughkeepsie. To leave Mary’s family a message on their guestbook, light a candle, obtain directions, or view other helpful services, please visit www.McVeighFuneralHome.com

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Mary Byrne Carroll

February 3, 1924 - September 22, 2015