Ann Mara (June 18, 1929 – February 1, 2015) was an American businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist, the wife and later widow of Wellington Mara, and the matriarch of the Mara family, which includes New York Giants CEO John Mara, and her granddaughters, actresses Rooney Mara and Kate Mara.[1][2][3]
Ann Mara | |
|---|---|
 Ann and Wellington Mara in 1954. | |
| Born | Ann Maria Teresa Mumm June 18, 1929 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2015 (aged 85) Harrison, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | Wellington Mara (1954–2005; his death) |
Personal life
editMara was born Ann Maria Teresa Mumm in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Olive (née DuBord) and George Mumm. She was of German, French-Canadian, and Irish ancestry.[citation needed] She married Wellington Mara (1916–2005) in 1954 and had eleven children.[4][5]
Ann Mumm met Wellington Mara by chance when a woman fainted at a 7:30 a.m. Mass that they both regularly attended. Both Ann and Wellington rushed to her side to help. Three of their early dates took place at Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and the Fordham gymnasium. After that Ann and Wellington were married, in 1954. They took their honeymoon in Southern California. Ann and Wellington had 11 children (7 girls and 4 boys) and 42 grandchildren. All their girls attended Convent of the Sacred Heart.
Her husband is considered to have been one of the most influential figures in the history of the National Football League as the owner of the New York Giants. Ann Mara had been called the "First Lady of Football".[6][7] As a philanthropist, she donated money to various causes. In November 2014 she dedicated the opening of a new building for the San Miguel Academy for children at risk, which was built through the NFL Snowflake Foundation.[8][9]
Media attention
editMara was an active member of the Giants community. In 2012 she gained media attention after having an argument with Terry Bradshaw.[10][11]
Death
editMara was in good health until she fell on ice when she was fetching her newspaper outside of her Harrison home. Mara's housekeeper usually went to get the paper but on that day Mara went to get it herself. She died from pneumonia two weeks after her fall, on February 1, 2015. She was 85 years old.[12] She was remembered with a moment of silence during Super Bowl XLIX; also, the Giants wore a patch on the right side of their uniforms, near the shoulders during the following season in her memory, with the letters "ATM" in black on a white circle background.
References
edit- ^ "For Mara family, owning Giants has provided stabilizing force for NFL, rich history for team". NJ.com. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "MyRye.com". February 4, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "Person Details for Ann Marie Mara, "United States Public Records, 1970-2009" — FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "Person Details for Anne Mumm in household of George Mumm, "United States Census, 1930" — FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "New York Giants' Ann Mara: Last of a Dying Breed". Giants 101. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "Meet the Super lady who has seen it all". NY Daily News. January 24, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (October 26, 2005). "Wellington Mara, the Patriarch of the N.F.L., Dies at 89". The New York Times.
- ^ Nicole Ball. "School for At-risk Boys Gets New Location and Outdoor Learning Space". www.hamlethub.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ Borden, Sam (September 4, 2008). "Ann Mara stands tallest among Giants". The Journal News. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
- ^ "Wellington Mara's Wife and John Mara's Mother, Ann Mara - PlayerWives.com". playerwives.com. February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "Climbing our way through the Mara family tree". NY Daily News. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ "Ann Mara, New York Giants' Matriarch, 1929-2015". giants.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.