Mary Jane McGraw

ALBANY – Mary Jane McGraw, age 88 passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025 surrounded by her loving family. Mary Jane was born on May 29, 1937 in Albany, NY to the late Martin and Jane Pedlow.
Mary Jane was a proud graduate of St. James Institute and Vincentian Institute (“Lions, Lions roar, roar, roar, VI SCORE!!!) where she made lifelong friends. Mary Jane worked for the New York Telephone Company and later with the Albany County Youth Bureau.
In 1957, she married Edward “Ned” McGraw and shortly after, they started their family, which became Mary Jane’s vocation and passion for the rest of her life. Mary Jane was a homemaker for her family and the number one fan for all of her children. Making sure their uniforms were clean, school lunches were packed, and laundry was washed, folded and put away were things in which she took pride.
Mary Jane could often be found with a Rosary in one hand and a Racing Form in the other and shamrocks scattered all around her. Her summers were spent in her grandstand seats at the track in Saratoga, with her mother, Jane, Uncle Jack, brother Jim, husband Ned or any of her kids. While soft spoken in every other aspect of her life, nobody could yell “c’mon 3” louder than her. Some people go to the Cape, to Lake George or other summer destination. For Mary Jane, Saratoga was the place to be!
Ned and Mary Jane had seven children (all claiming to be her favorite) and spent most of the 1970’s and 80’s travelling to each of their basketball games, CYO, high school and college, home and away, rain, sleet or snow. From the late 1950’s through the late 1980’s she could be found most Tuesday and Friday nights in the front row of the balcony of the CBA gym on DeLaSalle Road, cheering on CBA teams that were either coached by her husband or had one or more of her sons on the team. She would also sneak down the road to root on Kelly and her teammates at Bishop Maginn.
When the kids went to college, it was no different. It did not matter where the games were, Ned and Mary Jane were there. They found travel partners in the parents of other players, and they also found some parking spots in ditches along I-88.
Survived by her children Marty (Linda), Kevin (Wanda), Packy (Terri), Brian (Sara), Tim (Kelly), Kelly (Tim) and Dan (Emily), grandchildren Sean, Kayla, Ryan, Riley, Casey, Eileen, Molly, Caroline, Teddy and Angie McGraw and Mary Kate, Megan and Seamus Catella, and her great-grandchildren Kendall, Landon and Jordan Karr-McGraw and Mollie McGraw. Mary Jane is also survived by her beloved sister-in-law, Bernadette Pedlow and niece Susan (Steve) Barber and nephew John (Amy) Pedlow.
Mary Jane was predeceased by her mother, Jane Pedlow, brothers Marty and Jim Pedlow, beloved uncle Jack McCabe and her husband, Ned McGraw.
Mary Jane was a life-long communicant of St. James parish where she was baptized, went to grammar school, made her first communion, confirmed and was married. It was here where she developed a strong faith in God that shaped her life. She frequently prayed to St. Anthony and the Blessed Mary, and regularly said her rosary. Mary Jane’s favorite day was the feast of St. Patrick. In her later years, Mary Jane was a parishioner of Mater Christi.
In lieu of flowers, the family strongly encourages that donations be made, in Mary Jane’s name, to The Martin P. Pedlow Scholarship at Christian Brothers Academy, 12 Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12205.
A Mass of Christian Burial will celebrated at 9 am on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at St. Francis of Assisi (formerly St. James) Church 391 Delaware Ave., Albany. Calling hours will be Friday, June 27, 2025 from 3-7 p.m. at Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, 490 Delaware Avenue, Albany. Interment will be in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands. Online condolences may be offered at danielkeenanfuneralhome.com