Mary L. Fallone-Adler

Born in 1935 in Warren, Ohio, Mary graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1954 and left soon afterward for the bright lights of New York City. She never looked back.

“I knew the moment I stepped off the bus I was in the right place,” she often said.

Quickly identified as having a knack for advertising, Mary rose quickly through the ranks of the Daniel and Charles advertising firm, handling several of the company’s international accounts including Honeywell, Lanvin cosmetics, and the famous Jean Nate´ advertising campaign of the 70’s and 80’s. After being offered a position in the monthly publication industry, Mary left Daniel and Charles to become the director of bridal marketing and advertising for Globe Communications. Because of her daily immersion and travels in the fashion and beauty world, she became the family go-to guru for style and joie de vivre advice, an honor she carried even into her later years.

After marrying newspaper editor and journalist, Selig Adler, Mary and he divided their time between New York City, NY and Boca Raton, FL for many years until Selig’s passing, when Mary moved to Birmingham in 2005 to be closer to family. Although she was never able to rid her cravings for afternoon tea at the Russian Tea Room, steak at Peter Luger’s, and a properly made black and white cookie, she often commented on the warm hospitality of the South. In Birmingham she enjoyed going to her Newcomers meetings and joined a fiercely competitive mahjongg league. She was particularly grateful to her niece, Madeleine Allen; her caretaker, Cindy Gilliland; and her many kind neighbors on Scarlet Lane, whom she came to rely on as she got older.

“It takes a village,” she quipped.

Mary will be remembered for her sharp mind and interest in current events. Well-traveled, she reliably brought a worldly perspective to any issue at hand. Proud of her Italian heritage, she enjoyed making authentic old-world recipes, including a recent re-enactment of her mother’s Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. Most of all, Mary will be remembered for the handmade gifts she often worked all year to create and the love and encouragement she extended to those around her.

Mary will be missed by many, but most of all by her brother, Paul R. Fallone (Springfield, MO); her five nieces and nephews: Madeleine Allen (Birmingham, AL), Meagan Fallone (Verbier,Switzerland), Gordon Fallone (San Francisco, CA), Gahan Fallone (Springfield, MO), and Evelyn Fallone (Cincinnati, OH); her lifetime friends Lorana Fallone (Nelson, NZ), Bettye Cox (Birmingham, AL); and her cherished dog, Party.

A private ceremony will be held by the family. Well-wishers may send donations in her name to the Shelby County Humane Society.