Mary Banyra

Mary Banyra, formerly of Wyckoff, passed on to eternal life on Sunday, August 27, at Jersey Shore Medical Center with loving family by her side.

Mary was born in the Bronx, NY on June 6th, 1928 to Margaret and Michael, the oldest of five that included John, Helen, James, and Michael. After graduating from St. Simon Stock High School, she worked to put herself through secretarial school. She met the love of her life, Stanley Banyra, at her first big job in the Empire State Building, coincidentally walking into the wrong company for an interview and being hired on the spot (Mary would call this a “God-incident”).

Mary and Stan were married in 1950 and had eight children in 5 different states due to Stan’s job as a chemical engineer at American Cyanamid, with Wyckoff becoming the home base to raise their family. Mary and Stan had a warm, welcoming, lively home there until they were empty nesters and moved to Mahwah and then Manchester. After her wonderful husband Stan passed in 2015, Mary moved to assisted living in 2021 in Spring Lake.

It would take a book to describe our mom, grandma, great-grandma, sister, and aunt Mary and all the people she befriended, impacted, and charmed with her beautiful Irish smile and wit. Her priorities were her faith, family, friends, and fun! Mary’s house was always an open door where there was always room for another to have a meal or a cup of tea.  In Wyckoff, it was not uncommon for a wayward friend of her children to be taken in and given a place to sleep, she was “faith in action,” always.  The home was filled with lots of Irish music, singing, dancing and laughter. A voracious reader, Mary was a self-taught nutritionist and theologian, always sharing and teaching anyone who wanted to learn more about health or her Catholic faith. She was a member of the Franciscans, Third Order Regular for 38 years, and sang in the St. Elizabeth Catholic parish choir for 37 years.  She taught herself guitar at 40 and was a member of the parish prayer group and music ministry for 25 years. She enjoyed golf, swimming and skiing at the family's vacation home in the Poconos and said her life was “good, full and productive” and that she “loved the big family God blessed her with.”  Mary was a daily communicant while she was able and would meet her best friends at Mass and then go for tea and breakfast with them afterwards.

Mary is survived by her brothers James and Michael and their families, her cousin Vincent and his family, and her 8 children: Kathleen, Patricia (John, grands Erin, John Jr., Kaitlin, Juliann); Eileen (Joy, granddaughter Angelina); Ann (Michael, grands Keelin and Cormac), Stephen, Michael, Maureen (Thomas, grands Thomas Jr., Liam, Molly), John (Jane Anne, grands Jack, Patrick, Cailin, Julia), and seven great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband Stan, she was predeceased by her beloved siblings John and Helen.

We will miss you, mom, every day, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Well done, Mary, good and faithful servant.

Please, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to: Mary’s favorite tv channel:

EWTN Global Catholic Television Network: www.ewtn.com                                  

EWTN

5817 Old Leeds Road

Irondale, AL 35210                                                                             

Maryknoll Missionaries: www.maryknollsociety.org

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
P.O. Box 302
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302

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