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Obituary: Mary Alice 'Ginger' McNally passes

Fri, Nov 2nd 2018 05:15 pm
Mary Alice "Ginger" McNally died peacefully at Niagara Hospice in Lockport, New York, on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. She was the daughter of Maj. Gen. Clinton F. and Mary Rossen Robinson.
Ginger spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., when her father served in the U.S. Army during World War II. As a teenager, she moved to Niagara Falls, New York, where her father was the president of the Carborundum Company.
She attended Buffalo Seminary and graduated from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, where she majored in eastern religions and philosophy. She also attended American University in Washington D.C., earned a teaching degree from Medaille College and a masters in education from the University of Buffalo.
She worked for the Central Intelligence Agency early in her career and was a substitute teacher in the Wilson Central School District. She later became a successful realtor in Lewiston and an editor for the Edwin Mellen Press and Academica Press, where she edited non-fiction manuscripts from all over the globe.
Ginger had many interests and was very actively involved in the community. She was a member and president of Old Fort Niagara; president of the Niagara Falls Philharmonic Orchestra; on the board of directors of the Niagara Falls Little Theater; and a member of Artpark & Co., the Albright Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield-Penny Art Center. Ginger was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, and she served on several committees for the Presbytery of Western NY. She was a member of the Lewiston Garden Club and Tatler in Niagara Falls. Ginger was also a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels.
An avid reader, Ginger also excelled at writing, cooking and baking, playing contract bridge, and gardening. She enjoyed theater at the Shaw Festival and the former Studio Arena Theatre, as well as local theater in Buffalo. Ginger loved living in Lewiston and being surrounded by the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. She loved her vacations on the Outer Banks, North Carolina, with her close relatives. She enjoyed travel, and visited Europe, Cuba, Mexico, and Bermuda. She especially loved spending time with her many dear friends, with whom she shared many a good meal, book, joke, conversation and lively debate.
Ginger was predeceased by her sister, Sarah (Sally) Finkle. She is survived by her husband, Peter. V. McNally of Buffalo and her son, James V. McNally of Brookfield, Massachusetts; her brother-in-law, Michael C. Bentley (Kathleen); and several nieces and nephews: Constance Rybka (Anthony), Karen Pardue (James), William Terrell (Kristene), Sally Terrell (John Sarlo), Robert Bentley (Jennifer), Kristen Wylke, Eric Brinda (Lindsay) and Laura Bodycott (Dwight); and several grandnieces and grandnephews.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Old Fort Niagara or to the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown.

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