Obituary of Mary Blair

Albany, NY

Mary Blair née Motta passed away on Monday, February 18, in her home in Albany at 64 years old. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Stephen Blair of Scarborough, Maine; daughter Leigh Widjeskog and her husband Jared of Stuyvesant; step-daughter Stephanie Blair and her husband Asher Boggioni of Portland, Oregon; daughter Alexandra Cummings and her husband Ryan Kenney of Albany; grandchildren Maya and Johan; mother Antoinette Motta of East Greenbush; three sisters Fran (Chris) Rickert, Julie (Joe) Langan, and Chelsea (Bill) Koslow; and brothers Jack, Francis, Paul, and Albert. Mary maintained a strong faith in God and was welcomed into the afterlife by her father Frank and brother Anthony, among many others.

Mary was born in Albany on November 14, 1954 to Frank and Antoinette Motta. After attending St. Anthony’s and Cardinal McCloskey Memorial High School, Mary and her family moved to East Greenbush, where she graduated from Columbia High School in 1972. Mary went on to marry Terrence Cummings of Valatie and raise two daughters, on whom she doted. She worked as a stenographer and legal secretary, but was proudest of her roles as a mother and wife.

Mary married Steve in 1996 and volunteered her time at Rosewood Nursing Home and the East Greenbush Public Library until relocating to downeast Maine in 2002. One of her lifelong passions was American history, and she went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Maine at Machias in 2013.

Mary will forever be remembered for her gentle spirit, dedication to caring for others, and unsurpassed cooking skills. She was also a talented gardener and pianist. In her later years, her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren, with whom she shared her love of reading and cookie baking.

Mary’s family would like to thank Dr. Heidi Godoy and the wonderful staff at Women’s Cancer Care at St. Peter’s Hospital, where she received excellent care following her cancer diagnosis in February of 2018. We are grateful that she was able to remain in the comfort of her home thanks to assistance from the staff at Community Hospice.

A memorial gathering will be held for Mary at Simple Choices, 218 2nd Avenue (corner of 104^thStreet), Troy, NY from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 4, 2019. 

All friends and family are encouraged to attend.