Mrs. Mary Pain Carney

September 16, 1929 - November 15, 2017

Mary Pain Carney, 88, peacefully passed into the loving arms of God on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. A daughter of the late Charles E. Pain, Jr. and the late Dorothy Ross Pain, Mary was born on September 16, 1929, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also preceding Mary in death are her husband, John C. “Jack” Carney; daughter, Kathleen C. “Katie” Spinoso; and her siblings, Charles E “Bud” Pain III, Elizabeth Ann P. Bryson and Susan P. LaBahn. Mary graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee with a degree in Speech Therapy in 1952. While a student at Marquette, Mary had become very interested in learning more about the Catholic faith and also met her future husband Jack, who was also a Marquette University student. Mary and Jack were wed June 19, 1954 at St Dominic’s Catholic Church in Milwaukee, shortly after Jack was honorably discharged from the US Army. Jack and Mary continued to live in Milwaukee (as well as Chippewa Falls, WI) as Jack worked as a salesman for the Miller Brewing Company. In June 1958, the couple relocated to Syracuse, New York after Jack accepted a sales position with Will Ross, Inc. Jack and Mary would spend the next 41 years as residents of the Syracuse and surrounding area as Jack became a very successful businessman. During this time, Mary was a loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and homemaker, and was passionate about Classical music, especially the piano, which she played in her younger years. Mary also volunteered her time with her children’s school in their younger years as well as the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, for which she organized fundraising activities and attended performances regularly as well as the theater and other performing arts. It was also during this time that all the couple’s 4 children were married and had families of their own. Mary also enjoyed traveling and was a passionate reader. After Jack’s retirement in 1999, the couple moved to Asheville, North Carolina where they both continued lifelong learning at the U. of North Carolina – Asheville campus and while Jack volunteered his time at the local arboretum in Asheville. Shortly after Jack’s death in December 2006, Mary moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to be near her daughter, Katie and her family. Following Katie’s death in September 2014, Mary moved to Tallahassee, where she would spend the remainder of her earthly life. Survivors include her children, Elizabeth C. (Eric) Manahan of Charleston, South Carolina; Thomas S. (Coni) Carney of Tallahassee; and James P. (Heidi) Carney of Brooklyn, New York; eight grandchildren (Charles J. (Megan) Spinoso, John D. Spinoso, and Carol S (Eric) Meeks; Moriah and Caroline Manahan; Stephen and Erin Carney; and Phoebe Carney) and two great-grandchildren (Trent and Olivia Meeks). A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 6 at 11 AM at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Tallahassee. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any charitable organization. Online condolences may be expressed at www.abbeyfh.com. The family would like to thank the dedicated staff of Pacifica Woodmont Assisted Living Facility in Tallahassee, who made Mary’s last few years comfortable and peaceful.