In Memoriam: Rumson Resident, Mary Lou Kingsbery, 67

Rumson resident Mary Louise Kingsbery passed away, surrounded by her husband and children, at Riverview Medical Center on June 2. She was 67.

Mary Lou enjoyed working with Clay in their gardens and always filled her homes with beautiful flowers and plants. She also enjoyed spending time at the beach, both in New Jersey and in Florida. She could often be found reading one or two newspapers at a time, as well as the Daily Mail Online. Mary Lou was also an enthusiastic bridge player at Sea Bright Beach Club and Rumson Country Club, and cherished time spent playing with her close friends.

Mary Lou was a devoted supporter of her children’s sports teams throughout their times in high school and college, and could always be seen on the sidelines wearing their school colors. One of her favorite sports was croquet and she developed many friendships as a member of the Green Gables Croquet Club in Spring Lake.

Mary Lou loved welcoming friends and family into her home and hosted many memorable gatherings for Christmas and the Fourth of July, as well as birthday celebrations for her children and grandchildren.

In addition to being a constant support to Clay and her five children, Mary Lou dedicated her time and energy to several charities and non-profits over the years. Most recently, she was a member of the Alumnae Board of the Convent of the Sacred Heart. And together with Clay, Mary Lou supported many charitable causes, such as Family & Children’s Services and the Inner-City Scholarship Fund.

Above all else, faith was the center of Mary Lou’s life. Mary Lou was a devout and life-long Catholic, and instilled a strong devotion to the Church in her children. She regularly attended mass at Holy Cross Church in Rumson, New Jersey, as well as St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills, New Jersey. Her faith was—and continues to be—a tremendous source of strength and inspiration to Mary Lou and her entire family.

Born in Washington, DC, in her early life, she lived in Manhattan and Scarsdale, NY, and spent her summers in Sea Girt.

As a youth, she loved swimming both in the pool and the ocean, and worked as an instructor at the Silton Swim School in Manasquan, New Jersey. She enjoyed tennis, and learned to play at Sea Bright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart — 91st Street and the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT.

Mary Lou received her college degree from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. and during her junior year of college, she spent a year abroad studying at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques and the Sorbonne in Paris. Following college, Mary Lou moved to New York City and worked as a fixed income trader at Lazard Frères & Co.

In 1980, Mary Lou met the love of her life, James “Clay” Kingsbery Sr. Mary Lou and Clay married in August 1982, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, New York.

After living in Manhattan, they moved to Rumson, where they raised their five children. They later moved their family to the Short Hills, where they lived until 2017 and then went back to Rumson.

She is predeceased by her father, Paul J. Curran Sr.

Mary Lou is survived by: her husband, Clay, her daughter, Caroline Kingsbery Martino and her husband Robert, and her four sons: James C. Kingsbery, Jr. and his wife Kathryn (Vernon), Paul C. Kingsbery and his wife Courtney (Shanney), Edward W. Kingsbery, Sr. and his wife Jessica (Ulrich), and William F. Kingsbery; seven grandchildren, Grace E., Mary V., Henry A., James B., Charlotte A., Edward W. Jr., and C. Elizabeth Kingsbery; her mother, Barbara A. Curran; her three sisters, Catherine Souther and her husband Thomas, Barbara Susanin and her husband Timothy, and Elizabeth Stockton and her husband Richard; her three brothers, Mark I. Curran, Thomas J. Curran and his wife Deirdre (Naphin), and Paul J. Curran, Jr. and his wife Wendy (Slaughter); and 17 nieces and nephews and six grand-nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 6, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the John E. Day Funeral Home in Red Bank. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at Holy Cross Church in Rumson.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via John E. Day Funeral