Mary Elizabeth McKenna

It is with profound sadness and eternal love that we announce the passing of Mary Elizabeth McKenna of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mary was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, teacher, neighbor, and dearest friend. Mary passed away peacefully at home in Chestnut Hill surrounded by her family on April 27, 2025, after a courageous battle with leukemia.

Born in New York City on January 29, 1953, Mary was raised on Staten Island and graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn before earning a master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago, where she worked many summers coordinating the University’s pastoral studies program (as well as barbeques that were the envy of Lakeshore Drive). Mary devoted her life to education, teaching theology at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Chicago before moving to Philadelphia and teaching Lower School for over 25 years at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH). Mary was a warm and thoughtful pillar of the community during her decades at SCH, expanding her role beyond the classroom as a key member of the Green Task Force on sustainability and coordinating the food drives, including the Lower School’s Thanksgiving collections for the St. Vincent Food Pantry.

Mary was exceptionally devoted to her family, including her parents Jack McKenna (deceased) and Mary McKenna; her sisters Patricia McKenna and Christine McKenna Joura and brother-in-law Arthur and nephews Anders and Evan; her brother John McKenna and sister-in-law Naomi, and her nephews John James and Joseph and niece Mary Frances; and her beloved daughter Katherine Kullman whom she shared with former husband Bill Kullman. Mary offered unwavering support and love to friends and family, and raised her only child with the same strength, kindness, and generosity she herself so profoundly possessed. Her favorite place to gather was the beach – whether it be Point Pleasant, Chicago, or Skaneateles - and she spent many of her happiest days with the people she loved most swimming in cold waters and eating fruit under the hot sun.

Mary would often tell her students, “If you have the choice between being right, and being kind, choose being kind,” and she lived her life by that wisdom. She was universally admired for her generosity and good humor, and touched the hearts of countless people whose lives and futures were enriched by her talents. Mary was keenly intelligent, full of Irish wit, a voluminous reader, an exceptional baker with a specialty of chocolate chip cookies, and a Bruce Springsteen superfan. She had a remarkable memory for birthdays, even if she’d only met you once, and often identified every day as the birthday of a relative, celebrity, or historical figure.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Mother of Consolation Parish in Chestnut Hill on Saturday, May 10th at 10:00 A.M., followed by a celebration of life luncheon at North Hills Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library https://chlibraryfriends.org/or food donations to St Vincent's Food Pantry, 100 E Rittenhouse St, Philadelphia https://svdp.nwphila.org/st-vincent-de-paul-parish/.

Mary will be missed beyond words, but her legacy of kindness will live on in all who knew and loved her.