Mary Rosenthal passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 16, 2022, at the age of 89. Mary was raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, and spent the first half of her life there. Although she was the fourth of six children born to her beloved parents, Lula Smith Healy and Francis William Smith, Jr., she was the last of her siblings to leave this world.

Mary was an extrovert with a capital “E.” She loved people, loved life and woke up happy every day. She had five children—all daughters—with her first husband, Jesse, and took pleasure in being a scrupulous housekeeper. Later, as a single mother, she created several small businesses, alone or with her sister-in-law, that ran the gamut from catering and custom artificial flower arrangements to a construction company and a ceramics workshop. She also patented her best inventions. But her longest-lasting business venture and proudest accomplishment was her gift shops, one in Silver Spring and another in Ellicott City.

Nevertheless, Mary yearned to escape the Maryland winters so no sooner did she marry for the second time, she beat it south to sunny Florida and a high-rise condo that she adored. She never stopped marveling at the blue skies, white clouds and flowering plants of Miami and the view from her balcony of the ocean in the distance. Mary made friends easily. With a new life filled with hosting parties for her cherished “crowd,” establishing and running a weekly movie-night in the clubhouse, and serving on the landscaping committee, she was in her element. Mary was made for condo living and she had a smile and a greeting for just about everyone she came across, whether she was in the lobby or the elevator, having breakfast at the deli, visiting her doctor’s office or buying her ticket at the Aventura AMC.

Mary’s other sources of joy in retirement were visiting her children and later her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as convincing them to visit her in Miami. (One of her favorite success stories was the time a five-year-old granddaughter initiated a call from Texas to announce, “I want to come to Your-ami, Nana.”) Mary was predeceased by her middle daughter, Mary Elaine Curbo Denell. She is survived by her daughters Deborah Eaton, Patricia Meifert, Diana Butler, and Bonnie Snyder; by nine grandchildren; and by seven great-grandchildren.



We will all love you forever, Mom, and your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will never forget the best Nana anyone could have had. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to your favorite charity in Mary’s name, or simply remember her, raise a glass to her (or a cup of coffee), and share your favorite Mary anecdotes.