Obituary
Dundee – Mary Letitia Swain Tennies, age 84, died in the hope of resurrection to eternal life, early Wednesday Morning (February 12, 2020) at the Penn Yan Manor Nursing Home.
Friends may call on Friday February 21st from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Perkins Funeral Home in Gorham (after which the casket will be sealed) and again on Saturday February 22nd from 10 – 11 a.m. at the Seneca No. 9 Presbyterian Church, in Stanley, where funeral services and burial will be held immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Seneca No. 9 Presbyterian Church 4400 Number 9 Rd., Stanley, NY 14561 or to the Bellona Memorial Presbyterian Church, 93 Pre-Emption Rd, Bellona, NY 14415.
Mary was born on September 8, 1935 to the late Harold M. and Mary Elizabeth (Sayers) Swain. She was born and grew up on the family farm in Swain, NY. She was the valedictorian of her class at Canaseraga Central School.
Mary lived a long life filled with hard work, caring and support for her family and for countless other people. She was a graduate of Hornell Business School and later, after raising her children, refreshed her business administrative and bookkeeping skills at the Community College of the Finger Lakes. As a minister’s wife she served right alongside her husband Herbert in churches in western Pennsylvania and upstate New York. She was his “administrative assistant” and a leading contributor to church life: outreach, gatherings, adult and youth groups, choirs, Sunday school and vacation bible school. In her retirement she was ordained as an elder in the Dundee Presbyterian Church.
Mary was also regularly involved in child care over the years, lovingly establishing herself as “Aunt Mary”. She was the primary caregiver for her mother-in-law Frances Tennies, in the last years of Frances’s life. After moving to the North Country in the early 90’s, Mary worked in the office of Basins Inc. a quarry company dealing with commercial marble.
Mary was well known for her baking skills, her work ethic, her compassion and her physical and emotional stamina.
Mary is survived by her husband, Herbert L. Tennies of Dundee; her children, Mark (Sherry) Tennies, Heather Montfort (Steven), Barbara Aumick (Chris), and Amber Tennies; her grandchildren, Brittney, Morgan, Shawn, Caroline, Deziree, Dustin, Cori, Michael, Dominic, Angela, and Cash; her great-grandchildren: Remi, Mezziah, Isabella, and Giovanni; and her brothers: David and James.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her grandson Matthew and sister Catherine.