Mary Lenore Blair

Mary Lenore Blair obituary 14 July 1935 – 28 October 2024 Mary Lenore Blair of Cold Spring Harbor, New York died on October 28, 2024 in her beloved home after a brief hospital stay. Her death occurred in the early morning following a quiet night in the company of her three stepchildren, her housekeeper and companion, and the professional staff of New Leaf Home Care. Mary Lenore Blair was born on July 14, 1935, at Glen Cove Hospital in Glen Cove, New York. She was the second child and only daughter of Marie Lenore Scullin and Floyd Gilbert Blair. She spent her childhood in Oyster Bay and attended Greenvale School, Miss Porter’s School and graduated from Radcliffe College cum laude in 1956. Mrs. Blair’s career in the 1960’s and early 1970’s included appointment as a Mission Services Officer on the staff of the United States’ Mission to the United Nations. She later worked as an executive with the Travel Program for Foreign Diplomats, which became The Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats. In her work there, Mrs. Blair led groups of diplomats, who served at the United Nations and at Missions in Washington, DC, on extensive trips including homestays, across the United States, from Maine to Alaska, whereby those diplomats came to know the country and American families. In 1967, Mary Lenore Blair married Dr. Griswold P.D. Nammack of Oyster Bay and became stepmother to his five children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972, but she maintained a close and loving relationship with the three youngest children, and she has been a devoted and loving grandmother to their children as well. As a young person and adult, Mary Lenore Blair was an outstanding athlete: horseback rider, skier and tennis player. She was a fierce but fair competitor in tennis, earning rankings in the USTA National Women’s tournaments indoor and on grass, clay and hard court and winning championships in singles and doubles throughout the ‘90’s and early 2000’s. Mary Lenore was particularly proud to represent the United States in International Cup play. She served as President of the National Women’s Tennis Organization from 1997-1999. In her personal life and at home she was an exceptional gardener, cook, musician and friend. Her commitments included involvement with and support of St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Freedom Center in Huntington, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Save the Children Foundation and The Helping Hand Rescue Mission where over a twenty year period, according to its Director, the abundant donations from Mary Lenore’s vegetable garden helped to feed thousands of people. Mary Lenore had a gift for friendship and honoring commitments; she was an enduring, supportive, inspiring and joyful force. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington Station, New York.

Mary Lenore Blair

July 14, 1935 - October 28, 2024