Mary Jane Elizabeth Finnerty

Mary Jane Elizabeth Mason Finnerty, age 82, of Fairfield, Connecticut and Naples, Florida and formerly of Lincroft, New Jersey, died peacefully in her sleep on May 8, 2024 after a long illness.

Mary Jane was the beloved wife of James J. Finnerty, Jr., who died in 2018. They had been married for 53 years. She is survived by her sons, James J. Finnerty, III of Fairfield Connecticut, and Sean L. Finnerty of Seaford, Delaware, her daughters-in-law Jennifer Stahl and Abha Gupta, and her four grandchildren – Suzanne E. Finnerty, James J. Finnerty IV (“Jamie”), Jessica D. Finnerty, and Aiden R. Finnerty. She is also survived by her sister – Kathleen Agnes Poindexter- and her brother - Lawrence J. Mason, Jr.

Mary Jane was born September 4, 1941 to Lawrence J. Mason and Geraul Cuniff Mason of Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey. She graduated from St. Rose High School (Belmar, NJ) and, in 1963, from Caldwell University (Caldwell, NJ) with a B.S. in Education.

Mary Jane first began teaching in Wall, N.J. and subsequently taught basic skills in the Middletown, N.J. education system, where she helped develop the township’s first basic skills learning system at Middletown High School South. She always had a soft spot for the underdog and was a strong advocate for her students. Sadly, she was not as avid a sailor as her husband after many misadventures on the local NJ waterways. She excelled at calligraphy and drawing and enjoyed reading, British TV series, attending Broadway shows, and socializing with her friends from Avon, Lincroft, and Naples. She also enjoyed the many adventures of her four grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held on May 20, 2024 at 11am at St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church in Westport, CT. A visitation with family and friends will be held at 10:15am at the church before the funeral service.

Mary Jane's family would like to thank her care-givers and friends who helped Mary Jane over the years. In lieu of flowers, Mary Jane's family would request a gift be made in her name to financially assist students studying at Caldwell University . The gift should be forwarded to the attention of Jill Sheldon , Development and Alumni Affairs Coordinator, Caldwell University, 120 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006 (973 618-3252).