Date of Birth:
Sunday, September 21, 1924
Date of Death:
Monday, October 25, 2010
Age:
86 years old

Mary Elizabeth Zubay

A Funeral Mass and viewing will be held for Mary E. Zubay, wife of retired IBM employee and state representative Kenneth P. Zubay.

Friends may call from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM Friday (10/29/2010) at the Macken Funeral Home and 1 hour prior to the Mass on Saturday. The Funeral Mass will be performed at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on Saturday (10/30/2010) at 10:00 AM.

Mrs. Zubay, age 86, died late Monday evening on October 25, 2010 while watching a football game at her home in Rochester, Minnesota. Born as Mary Elizabeth Callahan on September 21, 1924 in Scranton, PA, Mary married Ken on April 22, 1943 in Endicott, NY.

In the early years of their marriage, Mary was active in the WWII war effort as a parachute packer for the Air Force and later as an IBM assembler for the Norton Bomb Site. As Ken’s 40 year career with IBM progressed, Mary proved to be the homemaking cornerstone of the Zubay family. Her strong sense of humor, sense of order and understanding provided the stable home and family life for Ken and their 3 children Ken, Suzanne and Jerry. As each of Ken’s promotions took them to a new city, Mary took on the task of coordinating the physical moves and setting up each new home for her family. Over time, they moved 6 times (Endicott, NY to Norfolk, VA, back to Endicott, NY then onto Poughkeepsie, NY, followed by Kingston, NY and then finally, in 1956, to Rochester, MN).

Mary was always there to provide her social skills in support of her husband Ken while he served with IBM, as a state representative in the Minnesota State Legislature, and his many community services.

Mary was known for her outgoing sense of humor and easy smile. She quickly made friends and brought smiles to complete strangers and friends wherever she traveled. As an avid football fan, you could always tell when a football game was on TV because you could hear her cheering for her team. Mary was a past member of the Rochester Country Club where she enjoyed both socializing and playing golf with her friends and family. Additionally, Mary was an active member of the Rochester community and church affairs. Some of her activities included: delivering food for Meals on Wheels, member of the St Pius Rosary Group; she served on the St Pius Board of Directors, worked for Social Services and was a St Pius Librarian. Both Mary and Ken loved to take leisurely “road trips” across the United States to visit her family in North Carolina, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Mary is survived by her two sons; Kenneth J.P. (Sarah) Zubay of Boca Raton, FL and Jerry P. (LeeAnn) Zubay of Rochester; five grandchildren (Kristine, Caren, Peter, Lindsay and Jason) and seven great-grandchildren (Kyle, Cole, Bailey, Channing, Mary Grace, Cooper and Callahan). She was preceded in death by her husband Ken (March of this year), a daughter, Suzanne Marie, her parents, Anna (Andrejko) and John Callahan, and her brothers John, Frank, Walter, and Bernie.

Mary wished to be cremated. Both she and Ken’s burial will take place at a later date at the Vestal Hills Cemetery located in Endicott, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be given to the Rochester Ability Building Center.