Mary Elaine Gaines, known widely as "Maura," died on July 3, 2026 at Newport Hospital after a brief illness. Mary was born on April 6, 1932 in Sherburne, NY to Clarence F. Gaines, founder of the Gaines Dog Food Company, and his wife, Amelia Ryan Gaines.

Mary attended Sherburne Central School and graduated from Marymount Academy in 1950. During her school years, she spent her summers at Moss Lake Camp in the Adirondacks where she was an outstanding camper and athlete, earning the camp's top "Honor Girl" award and taking home trophies in tennis, archery, riflery, canoeing, and sailing.

After high school, Mary entered the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Convent and attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY. As a religious, Mary taught elementary, secondary, and college level courses in Tarrytown and Arlington, VA. While in Arlington, she earned her master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from Catholic University of America.

Mary served as the Dean of Students, Registrar, and Coordinator of Academic Advancement Services at Marymount College in Tarrytown from 1960-1968. During her tenure, Mary established an organizational structure based on shared decision making rather than chain-of-command control. This innovative management model was adopted in a personal training program at Columbia University.

She left Marymount College and the religious order in 1969 to become the Director of Psychological Services at both the New York City and Westchester County campuses of Pace University. During this time, she earned a doctorate in School Psychology from St. John's University. In addition to traditional school psychologist responsibilities, Mary created specialized learning materials for classroom use and original techniques for students with disabilities in special education and inclusion programs. She served as a school psychologist in the Eastchester Public Schools from 1972 until her retirement in 2000.

In retirement,Mary continued her interest in life-long learning by creating the Gaines Human Development Resources Corporation which provided workshop based professional development programs that assisted participants in the examination of career/life goals at Fortune 500 companies and educational organizations. Mary also spent much of her retirement traveling, with meaningful trips to Egypt, Japan, an African safari, and two visits to her ancestral homeland of Ireland.

In 2018, Fordham University (which acquired Marymount College) presented Mary with the highest alumna honor, The Gloria Gaines Memorial Award, named in honor of her late sister, which is given for service to one's church, community, and the college.

At age 84, Mary married her longtime partner,Gerry Goldberg. After Gerry's death in 2022, and after over 60 years of living in the same apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Mary relocated to Middletown, RI to be closer to family. She became a beloved resident of Blenheim Assisted Living Center where she made many new friends and never missed an opportunity to take an art class, attend a sing-along, compete in games of all kinds, or share a meal with other residents.

Mary is survived by eleven nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren, and many friends. She will be fondly remembered for her passion for always doing what was best for people no matter their race, gender, ability, or social class as well as her kindness, thoughtfulness, good humor, spunk, and ability to enjoy every day to its fullest. In addition to her husband, Gerry, she was predeceased by her parents, Clarence and Amelia Gaines; her sisters, Barbara Fernandez, Joey Dinneen, and Gloria Gaines; her brother, John Gaines; and her nephew, Jim Dinneen.

A celebration of Mary's well-lived life will be held at a later date in Sherburne, NY.