Mary Therese Morgan

Mary T. Morgan, known as “the Mary Poppins of Marketing”, a loyal alum and fan of both Michigan State and Duke Universities, and proud aunt of four accomplished nieces, passed away on April 17, 2019 after a bold and courageous battle with cancer. Mary will be lovingly remembered for her ability to live life with great presence, thoughtful purpose and unchecked passion, by her brother Bill (Sue Morgan), sister Martha, and four nieces – Ruth Ngouon (Kosal), Molly, Jennifer and Stephanie. She was predeceased by her mother Helen Elias Morgan and father William Herbert Morgan.

Mary was born in Pontiac Michigan and was described by an early teacher (Joni Mitchel’s mom) as her “Scout” due to her unusual intelligence, confidence, and rightfulness. These traits were apparent when at the age of 11 she won the MI State Swimming Championship against the state’s top young female swimmers, many of whom were older than her. Mary attended Rochester Adams High School and continued to swim, play tennis and sing in the choir, where she was pleased to be seated next to another famous alum – Madonna, of whom she was a lifelong fan.

Mary graduated from the Honors College at Michigan State University in 1979 and was named to “Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities” for her many outstanding leadership roles. She received an MBA from Duke University in 1981, where she was the class President and a loyal basketball fan.

Mary began an illustrious marketing career with the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati where she worked on the company’s iconic brand Ivory Bar Soap. After P&G, Mary was hired by Kraft Foods and was the marketing driver on a number of their grocery products. She worked closely with Advertising Agency Leo Burnett and was part of the philanthropic team that developed the award winning “Be Somebody” campaign for the American Red Cross.

In 1992, Mary started her own company – The Morgan Network, a marketing and brand development advisory that contributed to global growth for multi-national companies including Mars, Kraft, ConAgra, Royal Numico, Novartis and AT&T, to name a few. Her business brought her to many exciting international destinations, and while she was a proud and patriotic American, she showed particular fondness for the people and cultures of the Netherlands and Brazil.

In 2014, together with Brian Camastral and Bernie Lodge, Mary founded Trynamic Partners – a growth accelerator for private companies seeking to secure a meaningful long term legacy. This proved an exciting addition to the work Mary was doing in the public sector and presented some of the same challenges she saw in her family’s business – Big Boy Restaurants. And while she was always on the go from one business opportunity to another, Mary found an idyllic setting in Anna Maria Island, where she became a resident in 2015 spending winter months at the home of her best friend Andi. After many a long walk on the beach Mary would often exclaim the she was the luckiest gal in the world and blessed to have the magical life she had.

Our Mary, “the Mary Poppins of Marketing” will be deeply missed and forever held in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.