Mary McKenna Foote

Mary McKenna Foote, beloved wife, mother, sister and dear friend, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 2, 1941, to Thomas Morrison McKenna and Martha (Stanley) McKenna, and was raised in New Rochelle, New York. A rainy celebration marked her wedding to James Barry Foote on Aug. 26, 1961, and the couple settled in Toledo, Ohio, in 1965, welcoming two children and creating lifelong bonds in their new community.

Serving that community quickly became a hallmark of Mary's life. Recognizing the need for support for women in abusive relationships, she helped establish Toledo's first domestic violence shelter in the 1970s. To support housing equality, she posed as a homebuyer to gather data about whether sellers were adhering to fair housing laws. She was the General Chair for the Channel 30 Public Television Auction from 1976-77, a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio, and the head of the Community Impact Council for United Way of Northwest Ohio where she coordinated funding for community projects, subsequently serving for years as a United Way Board member.

Her commitment to social justice causes was reflected in her work in the Development offices for the East Toledo Family Center, Easter Seals and St. John's Jesuit High School. A lifelong member of the Junior League of Toledo, she was recognized with the Mary Harriman Award for Lifetime Service in 2024.

She was a faithful supporter of the Toledo Art Museum and a member of its Apollo Society, and contributed to the Toledo Zoo's Aquarium, Children's Zoo and the Zoo's Museum of Natural History as a Silverback Society member, and she was also a contributor to the United Way's Tocqueville Society.

Her devotion to her community was matched by her love for her family, of whom she was immensely proud, and her friends, with whom she celebrated the milestones of life during bridge clubs and book clubs and get-togethers too numerous to count.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jim, her daughter Rebecca Foote Meloan (Paul) of Florida and Maryland, her son James McKenna Foote of Toledo, brothers Thomas Morrison McKenna, Jr. of Florida and William Roy McKenna of Viterbo, Italy, grandchildren Rachel Meloan Ceaser, Moira McKenna Meloan, Nathaniel James Foote, great grandson Adrian Howard Ceaser and numerous first and second cousins in the McKenna and Stanley families.

A memorial service will be held at Sylvania United Church of Christ in the spring, when the flowers are blooming. Memorial contributions in Mary's name may be directed to the Toledo Museum of Art at toledomuseum.org/donate.