Mary Ann (Pepe) Larney

   Mary Ann Larney, 88, Watertown passed away Monday afternoon, October 6, 2025, at Samaritan Medical Center.

   Born in Watertown on August 16, 1937, the daughter of Augustus and Carmel M. (Geglia) Pepe, she was the youngest of five children. Her parents and her four brothers, Frank H., Joseph D., Richard J., and Augustus J. Pepe all predeceased her.

   She graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1951, Immaculate Heart Academy in 1955, and LeMoyne College in 1959. At Immaculate Heart she served as Prefect of the Sodality and was the May Queen. At. LeMoyne she was active in the Sodality, was a member of the Glee Club, and sang alto in a select musical group, The Madrigals. Mary Ann was inducted into two national Jesuit Honor Societies: Gamma Pi Epsilon, for outstanding female students and Lambda Iota Tau, for students majoring in English or Classical and modern languages, who displayed academic excellence. She furthered her studies by taking courses at St. Lawrence University and Potsdam State University, thereby gaining permanent educational certification in Latin, Spanish, and English, all which she taught at various times.

   Mary Ann began her teaching career in North Rose, NY and then the Indian River Central School District. She married John A. Larney on June 18, 1960 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church with Fr. Joseph Francoeur officiating. After forty-seven years of marriage, John passed away on March 7, 2007.

   Mary Ann had continued her teaching career at Watertown High School and General Brown High School, where she taught for thirty-six years. Most of her tenure at General Brown was spent teaching Latin, although she taught English and Public Speaking as well. As a Latin teacher, she organized and guided many of her students on more than twenty-five educational trips to Italy, where they could study Roman history and culture in more depth. She also conducted adult trips to Italy, Greece, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She was very happy to have been able to accompany her daughters and all six of her grandchildren on trips to Italy, the country from which all her grandparents had emigrated.

   Parents and students alike looked forward to her annual Roman Nights which featured Roman and Italian food followed by plays, songs, and skits based on Roman culture and mythology. Mary Ann wrote, directed, and costumed these. She and her students once appeared on the opening of CBS This Morning, singing the show's then theme song, "O! What a Beautiful Morning", which she had translated into Latin.

   She worked diligently to keep Latin "alive and well at General Brown". Many of her students earned gold and silver medals and other awards on the National Latin Exam and these were presented to them in a special ceremony on Roman Night.

   Called "Magistra" (teacher) by her students, teaching for her was not just a career; it was her vocation. She coached the General Brown Whiz Quiz Team to championship rounds for many years and continued to do so even after her retirement in June 2004. In addition to the subject matter, she also endeavored to teach her students always to "think deeply, speak gently, love much, work hard, give freely and be kind". The motto of the Golden Rule, written in Latin, hung above her blackboard: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". She always insisted that this rule be followed in her classroom. 

   A communicant of the Church of St. Patrick, she was very devoted to her Catholic faith. As well as being an aficionado of travel, she was also an avid reader and a diligent cruciverbalist. Jeopardy was her favorite TV show. Music was very important to Mary Ann, and she enjoyed attending Broadway shows in New York City, London, and Canada. She also attended the concerts of several of her favorite musicians and traveled quite often to attend more than twenty concerts of one of her favorites, Anne Murray.

   As a member of the Watertown Eagles Club Auxiliary, she was active serving as chairman of publicity and decorating and served on the Queen of Hearts and Cook-Out committees. She was also a member of the New York State Retired Teacher's Association, the Classical Association of the Empire State, the Jefferson County Historical Society, the Watertown Lodge of Elks, the Watertown VFW, and the Auxiliary. She also hosted many "Trivia Nights" at the Eagles Club, writing all of the questions herself. 

   Mary Ann loved to cook, and her cookbook collection was vast because she enjoyed trying out and tweaking new recipes for family and friends. More than anything else, she cherished spending time with her family to whom she was devoted. She wanted to remind her family to "Be happy, love one another, share joy".

   She is survived by her two daughters and their spouses, Lisa and Kevin Patenaude and Valerie LaClair and Patrick Eckhard, Watertown; six grandchildren and their spouses, Matthew and Chelsea LaClair, Daniel LaClair, Hillary and Timothy Sweeney, Logan and Brianne Patenaude, Erin and Nathan Morford, and Colleen and Nicholas Birchenough; and great grandchildren, Aurora and Winston LaClair, Landon and Shea Patenaude, Levi Morford, and Jude Birchenough; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

   Calling hours will be held at Cummings Funeral Service, Inc., Watertown on Friday, October 10, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Her funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, October 11, at St. Patrick's Church at 10:00 AM followed by burial in Glenwood Cemetery. Online condolences to Mary Ann's family may be posted at www.cummingsfuneral.com. 

   Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Patrick's Church, 123 S. Massey St. or Immaculate Heart Central School, 1316 Ives St., both in Watertown, NY 13601 or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

   One of Mary Ann's favorite quotes was by Marcel Proust who wrote, "Let us be grateful to those who make us happy, for they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom".

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