Mary Elaine Crawford (neé Draney) passed away on Tuesday, January 21, at the age of 89.

Mary was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to her parents, Harry and Ethel Draney. She was predeceased by Harry and Ethel, as well as her brothers, Harry Jr. and John Draney.

Her graduating yearbook from Teaneck High School in 1953 included the statement "5 foot 2, eyes of blue describes our class secretary…cute, friendly, and amazingly popular…She will be remembered as one of Teaneck High's most wonderful cheerleaders." After high school Mary attended secretarial school and later worked in a bank in Manhattan. Mary once said, when asked what college she attended, that she went to "the school of hard knocks." She was right. Mary lived through extraordinary hardships, from the loss of her brother in a drowning accident when she was young, to the sudden loss of her Army veteran spouse, William Crawford, to a brain tumor at 38 years old, leaving Mary a single parent to eight children under the age of 14. Mary loved each of her children equally and unconditionally throughout her life, whether they deserved it or not.

However many times life tested Mary, she rose to the challenge. After the loss of William in 1972, she went back into the workforce to support her family. She worked as the recreation director of the Hazlet Swim and Tennis Club. In 1981 she worked as an executive secretary at Schoor Depalma Engineering.

She went on to have 24 grandchildren, and took the time to know each of their passions and desires, always saving money for their birthdays and holidays even if it meant forgoing a personal luxury. Some of her memorable adventures include the following: Finding respite from her hectic life by getting away with her long time friend, Bob Weigand, to a cabin in Vermont which she called Peaceful Pines. At the age of 50 she did a cartwheel to prove she still could. In her late 50s she went white water rafting and in her 60s she went hot air ballooning with her daughters on a girls' trip to Sedona, Arizona. She made a memorable appearance in the family 4th of July talent show as George Washington where she sang her favorite "God Bless America". For her 80th birthday she celebrated with all her children and many of the grandchildren. A picture of the event has Mary posing by lying across family members like she was still a cheerleader.

Unfortunately, life continued to test Mary when she lost nearly all her possessions to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. But over and over, Mary proved she could emerge from rubble and darkness with an appreciation for all the things she did have.

Mary was famous for her matter-of-fact attitude. If you were overly concerned with your outfit for a special event, to diffuse your stress with her special brand of humor she would say not to worry, "Nobody's looking at you anyway." She would have absolutely hated this obituary. She didn't want to be the center of attention or burden anyone. It was this balance of understanding when things really mattered and didn't matter that gave Mary her resiliency, along with her faith. She developed a philosophy of "It is what it is" which was posted on the entrance to her room at assisted living and was printed on T-shirts for family members.

Mary was a dedicated Catholic and believer, attending mass nearly every day up until when she could no longer drive where she transitioned to watching EWTN on television daily. She gave back whenever she could, working with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and volunteering at church as a Sunday school teacher among other tasks. She was active at her garden club and in her retirement community's board.

Mary was a doer, wanting to help others in every way. But she also was an artist, spending her free time painting, writing poetry and devouring books, sometimes one a day. And it showed: Mary knew everything. She was excellent in board games, Scrabble and crosswords. She might surprise you by naming Jay Z and Rihanna as answers to a trivia question. She was an excellent baker, unafraid to swap taste for calories. She made an excellent coconut custard pie with the best crust you ever tasted.

Mary was survived by her sister, Susan Bodnar; her eight children, Catherine Swent (Richard Swent), Dianne Dente (Carmen Dente), Eileen Lucey (Daniel Lucey), William Crawford,III (Eileen Crawford), Dennis Crawford (Maryanne Crawford), Kenneth Crawford, Christopher Crawford (Dawn Crawford), and Kevin Crawford (Fran Crawford); 24 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Mary would be thrilled to have all her family and friends in the one place they haven't gathered together in a long time: church. All are welcome to join her visitation, which will be held on Tuesday, January 28th at Manchester Memorial Funeral Home, 28 Schoolhouse Rd., Whiting, NJ 08759 at 9:30am. Services will follow at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church at 10:45am at 30 Schoolhouse Rd., Whiting, NJ 08759