Mary Diskin Keenan Hart

Mary Diskin Keenan Hart, 87, of Dalton, passed away peacefully Wednesday morning at Elan Gardens Senior Living Residence in Clarks Summit surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Boston, MA, she was the daughter of the late Albert and Mary Concannon Keenan.  She was a graduate of Saint Anne's Academy, The College of New Rochelle, and Harvard University, where she received her Master's in Teaching English in 1959. A dedicated alumna, Mary received the Ursula Laurus Award for Outstanding Alumni from the College of New Rochelle in 1978. She also completed post-graduate work at the University of New Hampshire which culminated in the publication of her book, The Rainbow: Writing the Research Paper . Mary began teaching part-time at Keystone College in 1969 and was fully appointed in 1978. Mary taught English, American Literature, and Developmental English until her retirement in 2001.

While at Keystone, Mary was a member of the National Council of Teachers, the Pennsylvania Association of Developmental Educators, the National Association of Developmental Educators, The Mulberry Poets and Writers, the Lackawanna County Diversity Coalition, and the Northeastern Intermediate Unit 19 Curriculum Council. Mary was a founding member of the Northeast Pennsylvania Writing Council and the Faculty Development Committee.  She was the 1999 winner of the Margaretta Belin Chamberlain Chair Award for Distinguished Faculty Service at Keystone College and was selected as Who's Who Among American Teachers in 2000.

Mary served as a board member of the HSA of Northeast Pennsylvania, a member of the Junior League of Scranton, and a founding member of the Lithia Valley Food Co-op. In 2001, She was honored with the Women of Distinction Award by the Girl Scouts and the Dalton Borough Council honored Mary by declaring Mary Keenan Hart Day on November 9, 2001.  Her proudest moment was serving as the chairperson of the Health System Agency Committee on Maternal and Child Health, bringing the first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to the Community Medical Center in Scranton. She was also a member of the Church of St Gregory.

For 36 years, Mary tutored approximately 200 8th-grade students in preparation for the Scranton Prep Entrance Exam, ensuring that any student who wanted the opportunity would be prepared for the challenge. She was a voracious reader, and she wrote  "From Bestsellers", a column for the University of Scranton, and "Dalton Library Delights" for the Abington Journal. She ran a book club founded at Tudor Book Shop from 1996 until COVID-19 stopped the meet-ups in 2020.

As a young girl, Mary spent her summers on the beaches of New Jersey, the East Hamptons, and Martha's Vineyard, swimming, sailing, and scouting. Her years of sailing Meneshma 26's prepared her for the request for crew one day in October 1956 in Larchmont, NY, her first date with her late husband, Marc Hart.  It was the first day of the 62 years they would spend together raising a family, and later sailing their O'Day on the Connecticut coast.

The family would like to thank the Hospice of Sacred Heart nurses and the entire staff at Elan Gardens Senior Living Residence who cared for her with great competence and compassion.

She is survived by her children, Mary Anne Diamond and husband, John; Pegeen Sheakoski and husband, John; Patrick Hart and wife, Alissa; Susan Carey and husband, Will; Katie Holzman and husband, Aaron; Maura White and husband, Chuck; a sister, Peggy Sheridan; 18 grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice I. Hart, Jr.; a son, John Albert Hart; and a sister, Patricia D. Pettinato.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, April 22, at 10 a.m. from the Church of Saint Gregory, 330 N. Abington Road, Clarks Green.

The family will receive friends on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dalton Library, the Friends of the Poor, the Catherine McAuley House, or the Church of Saint Gregory.