Mary Collett Goodbody

Once again refusing to follow anyone's advice, even when she should, Mary Goodbody died on August 19, 2024.

Mary was born on February 26, 1949, in New York City, which was probably why she continued to tell people she was from New York for the rest of her days, even though she spent 40 years as a resident of Connecticut. Mary and her seven siblings grew up in Tenafly and Englewood, NJ, the children of Dr. Maurice F. Goodbody and Mrs. Katharine B. Goodbody. Sporty and Katy shipped her off to The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY, when she was in 10th grade due to her prioritizing boys and friends over grades. There she met her two ride-or-dies, Mary MacMillan and the late Gloria Garvey (Etzbach). Mac, Glo, and Goodbod continued to be a strong trio of best friends to the end.

After high school, Mary attended George Washington University where she claimed she was a hippie who protested the Vietnam War, but most of her time was spent hanging out with her friends and boyfriend (see above, priorities while in school). After college, Mary moved back to her "hometown" of New York City and pursued a career in writing, editing, and publishing. Never one to be idle, when her professional life stalled in the beginning, she once went to City Hall and asked if she could volunteer for jury duty. She was denied. Through the 1970s she worked for a number of publications, including Harper's Bazaar Magazine and Financial Analyst Journal.

After moving to Westport, CT in 1980 to be a founding editor of Cook's Magazine, Mary's life truly changed for the better: Her favorite (and only) child Laura Wreden Goodbody was born. Mary took to being a single mother immediately. She never quite liked anyone telling her what to do, which helped her build a thriving business as a freelance food writer beginning in 1984. She and Laura moved to Fairfield, CT, "because of the schools," but also because the houses were a lot cheaper than in Westport. Mary set up her editorial shop in the bottom level of their little house near the beach, and she took enormous pride in her position as a professional writer. She was devoted to her family, spending holidays, summers, and weekends at her happy place, the Bardon-Goodbody family farm in Hope, NJ. She was also devoted to the telephone: talking to her parents, siblings, colleagues, and friends both around the corner and across the ocean endlessly on the phone until the day she died.

Mary set an incredible example for all who knew her with her steady attitude, absolute professionalism, and love of language. She worked with all kinds of famous and notable chefs (Julia Child once made her a tuna fish sandwich!) and received a James Beard Award for her work on the book Taste: Pure and Simple with Michel Nischan. She skillfully crafted culinary hopefuls' words into stories that expressed their love of food, and listened to dozens of cooks and celebrities tell their stories before spinning their narratives into award-winning cookbooks. She worked with the likes of Edna Lewis, Rick Tramonto, Art Smith, Debra Ponzek, the Lobel Brothers, and Julie Rosso. People often assumed Mary's amazing career and success was spurred by a passion for cooking, but it was actually a passion for writing. She and her daughter usually dined on hamburgers, Ramen, chicken breasts, or Chinese take-out.

Though at 75 and with gray hair, she looked like a fragile old lady, woe unto anyone who called her "hon," "cute," or "sweet." She welcomed anyone and everyone to her table, but wasn't one to shy away from gossip. As she once declared to her daughter: "We're not mean, we're hilarious."

Mary is survived by her daughter Laura, her son-in-law Brian Cook, and her three grandchildren: Mary (just a coincidence) Bardon, Benjamin Wreden, and Hannah Goodbody. She is also survived by her beloved and devoted siblings: Tom (& Sandy), Katharine (& the late Hunt Deming), Jerry (& Sheila), Dick (& Jill), Elizabeth (& Ralph), Marnie (& Jeff), and Peter, as well as 11 nieces and nephews, four grand-nieces and nephews, and a multitude of friends too numerous to count.

If you'd like to honor Mary's memory, send her friends and family to a house in Provence, France for two weeks. It was the last thing on her bucket list that she never got to realize. But if you're too cheap for that, you can make a donation to the Michael J. Fox Fund to support Parkinson's research or donate a book in her memory to the New York Public Library.