Mrs. Mary Virginia Hecht

November 2, 1932 - November 4, 2021

Mary Virginia Hecht was born on November 2, 1932 and grew up in Hammond, Indiana, the oldest of seven children. She was the first to attend college in her family and graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelors of Arts. She met her husband, Charles E. Hecht in college and they married September 1955. Mary and Charles loved to travel and visited many countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. They resided in Holland and Beirut, Lebanon for a few years, eventually settling in Brooklyn, New York to raise their four children. Once the children left for college, she had a career as a paralegal secretary at the Manhattan Savings Bank and subsequently at Sullivan and Cromwell. Mom was a true renaissance woman. She spoke French, Dutch and learned some Arabic while living in Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East. She was an amazing cook, hosting many family holiday dinners. She brought her children to the city to visit art museums, attend ballet performances and concerts. She shared a love for opera with her husband and had box seats at the Metropolitan Opera House. She was an avid reader of The New Yorker, NY Times, kept informed on politics and world affairs. She had a great interest in world cultures and shared her love of reading and culture with her children. She was enthralled with the ongoing discoveries of space and excitedly tell us when the next eclipse or solar event would occur. Mary was a religious woman, attending mass each Sunday, keeping a rosary blessed by the Pope on her nightstand. Mary developed lymphatic cancer a few years ago, but with treatment she felt great and enjoyed spending time with her girlfriends from the neighborhood and family visits. Always a kind person, appreciative of life and ready to laugh. She passed away in her sleep two days following her 89th birthday. She is survived by her four children Evelyn Hecht, Richard Hecht Gregory Hecht and Dianne Bliffeld, their respective spouses; her grandchildren Amanda, David, Matthew, Ava, Rory and Maya Rose; her great grandchildren Jane and Kate; her sister-in-law Carolyn O’Malley, husband Edward O’Malley; her brothers Albert Iorio, Louie Iorio ,Tony Iorio ,and Chuck Iorio, predeceased by her sister Ann Schreiber and her brother Bob Iorio. She is loved by us all and will forever be in our hearts. Funeral Celebration Information A Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday December 15, 2021 at 10:30AM in St. Brendan’s Church in Brooklyn, New York. Followed by a luncheon at Michael’s of Brooklyn Restaurant. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: American Parkinson Disease Association, APDA APDA Website: https://www.apdaparkinson.org/0000d2l/ Those who wish to attend the Memorial Mass please contact Greg Hecht Email: [email protected] Phone: (585) 813-5497