Mary Elizabeth Mahoney

Mary Mahoney, (98) of Omaha, was born on February 25, 1927, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Using her babysitting money to pay for voice lessons, she soon became interested in singing and performing and kept that interest for the remainder of her long life. Mary was in the Council Bluffs Civic Music group in the 40’s and 50’s, and the Hometowners singing group in Council Bluffs for 20 years. She performed in light opera such as New Moon, Desert Song, and Merry Widow, with an all-volunteer cast and orchestra. She sang the Messiah for 50 years, most recently with the Voices of Omaha for 13 holiday seasons, the last season at age 86. She performed with the Omaha Symphonic Chorus and more recently she performed solo at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, at age 89.

Mary was the longest member of First Presbyterian Church, where earlier in life she sang in the choir for many years and was an elder.

In the 1970’s, for seven years Mary was a volunteer at the Fontenelle Forest, helping with fundraising efforts and assisting with general office tasks. An entrepreneur, she ran the Thissen House bed and breakfast in Neligh, Nebraska for 20 summers, and published a book about her experiences there, the second of three books she has written.

She enjoyed gardening and knitting, making many knit objects including sweaters, hats, and scarves for family and friends.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Earl G, “Jerry”. They were happily married for 72 years and three months. She is survived by three sons Jim (“Tony”) of Las Vegas and his wife Cyndy, Tom in Prairie Village, Kansas, and Bill and his wife Joan in Papillion, Nebraska. She has 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Services will be January 10, 2026, with a visitation at 1:00 P.M. and service at 2:00 P.M. Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home, 5701 Center St, Omaha, NE 68106.