This is Part 3 of the eulogy for Mary that I sent to the plot-holders of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery 

Every time Mary sent what she promised was the “Final” draft of the annual newsletter she would follow up with an email to me – usually with a time stamp at 2 AM - informing me that she was attaching a revised version that was “truly final.” This went on repeatedly until I declared “Pencils Down.” Only then would she yield. It became our running joke.

Not surprisingly, Mary was an accomplished author. She wrote the book, "The Lost History of the Canine Race” which was published in 1996. She also contributed articles for many animal publications over the years and helped me with the historical book about Hartsdale Pet Cemetery that I authored in 2010 titled, “The Peaceable Kingdom in Hartsdale.” Mary’s most recent writing was published in the Metropolitan Diary Section of the New York Times on July 5, 2025 – just one month before she died. The story relates Mary’s experience of traveling to Hartsdale for the very first time to attend our 100-year anniversary in 1996. It is posted in the picture collage.

Not only was Mary a big part of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery’s family but I considered her to be part of my own family. She was like a big sister to me. And, she called my parents, “Mama Ginny” and “Dad.” We will miss her very much.

Mary’s ashes will be interred at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery – the place she loved so much – in a plot she chose many years ago. She will rest in eternity with the ashes of her parents and her beloved pets.

Rest in peace sweet, Mary. We love you.

Edward C. Martin, III
Vice President - Hartsdale Pet Cemetery

This is Part 2 of the eulogy for Mary that I sent to the plot-holders of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery.

Mary continued her research long after the National Register accomplishment. She would regularly call or email me bursting with excitement about possible leads to new historical discoveries. One such discovery was locating the oldest surviving monument. For years, it was believed that a monument dedicated to “Dotty” with a date engraved of 1899 was the oldest. However, Mary’s research revealed that another monument dedicated to Blague which did not have the date engraved on it was installed one year earlier in 1898.

If you look around the cemetery you will see the loving touches of Mary Thurston everywhere. She personally cared for our most historic features as if they were her children. On her annual visits, among many other things she could be seen precariously climbing on a ladder to apply chemical treatments to the bronze German Shepherd sculpture that sits on top of Hartsdale‘s famous War Dog Memorial – the first public memorial to honor military dogs that was first unveiled in 1923. She called it the “Crown Jewel of Hartsdale.”

Mary’s southern charm and deep knowledge of Hartsdale’s fascinating history made her perfectly suited to lead the tours we occasionally hosted – a role she enjoyed immensely.  

Mary headed up Hartsdale’s Heritage Fund which was established to receive donations that are earmarked to cover the costs of preservation, restoration and beautification of our historical features that are not covered by our general fund. To help further that goal, Mary wrote and designed all of our annual newsletters for our donation drives and sent personal thank you notes and gifts to many of our generous donors. She was one of the most eloquent writers I ever met. She took such pride in her writing and was always tinkering with words and sentences until they met her own self-imposed strict standards of excellence. 

CONTINUED

This is Part 1 of the eulogy for Mary that I sent to the plot-holders of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery.

It is with a heavy heart that I must share the very sad news that Mary Thurston - our beloved friend and historian of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery - passed away unexpectedly in August. I recently attended her Celebration of Life Service that took place in Austin, Texas where she called home.

All who knew and loved Mary will agree that her personality was as big as the state of Texas. She was witty. She was smart. She loved to laugh. She was thoughtful, kind and generous. She loved animals. She loved history, photography and writing. And, most of all Mary loved Hartsdale Pet Cemetery from the very first time she visited in the 1990’s. It wasn’t long after that fateful visit that she informed the director (my father) that she was hiring herself to be our historian. The contributions she made during her 30-year tenure in that position are immeasurable.

Mary’s biggest accomplishment as our historian was getting Hartsdale listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. To give you an idea of just how big of a deal that is, Hartsdale is the only pet cemetery to have that distinction. It was Mary’s idea to apply and she did the work practically single-handedly. The application itself was intimidatingly voluminous and required close attention to detail similar to the effort one would need to put forth in writing a dissertation for a doctorate’s degree but Mary persevered due to her deep passion, her tenacious work ethic and her eloquent writing skills. Always modest and ever the jokester, Mary credited much of her success to tequila which she referred to as her “medicine.”

CONTINUED

Mary & I were students in the original middle of St Stephen’s, in the fall of 1972. We remained classmates during our high school years, & graduated together in 1978.

We talked often, sharing the ups & downs of life during the teen years. After graduation, we  went our separate ways, until I ran into her in the Art Building at UT. It felt like no time at all had passed; we talked for 3 hours, both reminiscing, & discussing plans for post college life.

I’ll be forever grateful for that conversation, & for Mary’s friendship. She leaves an enviable legacy with her service to canine companions throughout the world.

I’ll miss my old friend & classmate. My memories of her will always be good ones.

Bruce Barnes

Mary authored this lovely story that relates her experience of traveling to Hartsdale Pet Cemetery to attend our 100-year anniversary in 1996. The story was published in the New York Times Metropolitan Diary Section on Saturday July 5, 2025.

Mary using her sense of humor and modesty to explain how she completed the application that got Hartsdale Pet Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the first and only pet cemetery with that distinction. Mary, who was the cemetery’s official historian for 30 years, did all of the research and filing entirely on her own. This video was taken at our annual Pet Memorial Day event in September 2024.

Mary was my best friend in Austin for almost 40 years
We met at Maggie Mae’s nightclub on 6th Street in January of 1987. I glanced at her drink and asked what it was, and she said “apple cider”.  Years later I found myself carrying boxes of cider from her favorite grocery store up to her  condo, and I was happy to do it.
When we were dating, Mary introduced me to one of Austin’s most famous establishments, Matt’s El Rancho. We had a lot of fun and laughs at the bar over the years, and it was our favorite place to meet for lunch.
Eventually, after providing indispensable work and several articles, Mary became the official historian for the world-famous Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York, and she would ask me to tend to her animals whenever she went there to work or to host public tours.  This included her precious dog Petey, which she had buried at Hartsdale, and a long line of cats that she loved and kept her company.  I was always proud of Mary for her crucial work at Hartsdale, as well as her book “the Lost History Of The Canine Race”, and several published articles.
Mary had a one-of-a-kind sense of humor, and I always looked forward getting together with her, as there were times in our conversation she’d say something so funny I couldn’t stop laughing.
More than anything, Mary was a beautiful person who was thoughtful, generous, and kind, both to her family and anyone who knew her.  I feel very grateful for having had her as a wonderful friend, and my heart is broken for having lost her so early in life.  I will always miss you, Mary.  Thanks for all the good times.

I met Mary years ago through my work as the founder and president of Companion Animal Protection Society, a national nonprofit she supported. While our primary focus is on investigating pet shops and puppy mills, we have expanded into helping to save the at-risk dogs at a very large and crowded shelter in Kern County, CA through various means of outreach. 

One of these dogs is a gorgeous long-haired red and white Husky. She will be going to live in BC with an anthropologist/archaeologist, who is studying ancient dog burials as part of her dissertation. I was just telling the adopter about Mary's book and decided to look up Mary since we haven't spoken in a few years. I was shocked to discover that she recently passed away. I am so sad. She was such a wonderful person and so committed to helping war dogs. 

I wish we had had one last time to talk. My condolences to her family.

My Condolences to Mary's dear brother friends and family.
I was her hairdresser for decades and will miss her dearly. Her love for animals showed her true compassion for the world🌎.
Mary your secrets are safe with me !
Marsha and Garbo A Salon

This is a photo that Mary shared with me many years ago.  She told me that this photo of her is from 1963 at an ancient cemetery in Rome Italy. Her love of animals, history and cemeteries goes back to her childhood.

Mary Thurston, Hartsdale Pet Cemetery historian, leading a guided tour of the cemetery for the International Association of Pet Cemeteries annual conference in September 2016

Mary Thurston, Hartsdale Pet Cemetery's historian, giving a tour of the cemetery in June 2010

Mary.....no words can describe how my heart feels.  You left so suddenly...I still believe I will hear your voice again, or receive an email ... or see you at Hartsdale walking the grounds.  I miss you dear Mary...and love you.....always....Mamma Ginny

Oh my love your friend from Yorkshire has only just found out you have left us.  Although we have never met in person we were soulmates who lived and cared for all creatures great and small.  We will meet again my love at the Green Wicket with all the creatures great and small who we cared for more than anyone will ever know.  Night, night God Bless my love your devoted friend across the pond Barbara 🙏❤️ x

Mary devoted herself  to the betterment and care of her furry friends, those at her home and beyond.  The stories she told me of her numerous visits to a historically famous pet cemetery in the Hudson Valley of Upstate New York were fascinating.
Mary loved to laugh, and had a circle of friends in Austin who loved laughing along side her.  We will miss her.

Mary was like a big sister to me. She devoted her life to animals, expressing her love for them through her art, photography, and writing. As the historian for the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York—the oldest operating pet cemetery in the world—she kept alive the stories of devotion between people and their beloved companions, writing their newsletter and spending time cleaning the sites once a year.
Her passion for dogs took her on many travels as she researched and wrote The History of the Canine Race, collecting invaluable knowledge, photographs and memorabilia about war dogs and extinct breeds. Through her work, she preserved history and deepened our understanding of the bond between humans and animals.
To me, she was more than a friend—she was family. She always called me “Little Michelle,” and we shared a deep love of horses that brought us even closer. From the first time she walked into my mother’s vintage clothing store, at the age of 16, she considered my mother her mother. For 25 years, she spent Christmas with my family, becoming part of our traditions and our lives.
We will all miss her laugh, her warmth, and her absolute, unabashed authenticity. She lived fully true to herself and to the beings she loved so dearly.

Mary was a good friend and I am already missing her.

My heart is broken. Mary was my good friend, I met her when she was 16 years old, she came to my vintage clothing store on west 6th Street to buy her prom dress.  She has celebrated Christmas with our family for the last 24 years, I loved her like a daughter. Mary was beautiful, intelligent, an artist, a published author, and she wrote many articles on dogs.  She worked for the first pet cemetery in America, ( Hartsdale  Pet Cemetery in New York.)  Her love for animals was  known by all who knew her, she even baked cornbread every week for the squirrels and birds.  She was a good person and I adored her .  Rest in Peace sweet Mary, you are with Petey now.  WE will miss you.  Love,

OBITUARY

Mary Elizabeth Thurston

June 26, 1960 – August 7, 2025

Cook-Walden Funeral Home

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