Mary Jane (Mezzalingua) Spencer's Obituary
Mary Jane Spencer, the former Mary Jane Mezzalingua, passed away on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA. Growing up in Syracuse, NY-first in Syracuse's "North Side" and later in DeWitt and Manlius, Mary Jane truly loved her hometown. Her favorite coffee mug read "I'd rather be in Syracuse". In recent years, Mary Jane had moved to Pennsylvania, enthusiastically adopting the Pittsburgh area, where her daughter, Cynthia and her family resided.
No love of either place, however, exceeded her love of family. She and her husband of 52 years, Richard, who died in 2002, had a close and enduring bond. So close that Richard chose June 7, the date they began their married life together, to bring her home to him for an eternal anniversary celebration in heaven.
Mary Jane was also predeceased by her parents, John and Carmela Mezzalingua; her sister, Gloria Anne Greiner and her niece, Laurie Mezzalingua.
Left to cherish her memory are her two daughters, Dr. MaryAnne Spencer and Cynthia Harding (Larry), both of Pittsburgh, PA; her two beloved grandchildren, Nicole and Jamie; her brother, Daniel N. (Kathleen) Mezzalingua of Fayetteville, NY; eight nieces and nephews and several cousins. Relationships were very important to Mary Jane and her telephone kept her in touch with her many longtime friends and relatives back home as well as with the wide circle of cherished friendships she made in Pittsburgh.
Mary Jane studied piano performance at Syracuse University's School of Music eventually teaching private music lessons in her Syracuse studio. Her creativity extended to her culinary expertise. As a young mother in DeWitt, she was chosen as Syracuse Newspaper's "Cook of the Week" with a pictorial spread featuring a selection of her recipes. Cakes were her specialty and requests for her original creations came from family, friends, and neighborhood groups. No gathering was complete without one of Mary Jane's cakes.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 A.M. on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, with a funeral mass offered at 10 A.M. in Holy Cross Church, DeWitt. Entombment immediately following at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in the Family Mausoleum, Fayetteville, NY. Family and friends may call on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 from 4 to 7 pm at the funeral home, 3401 Vickery Road (corner of Buckley Road), North Syracuse, NY 13212.
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