I've just come back from a week in Maine with my family. Mary, we will miss you so much. You were kind, generous, absolutely honest and a stunning singer. You endured the cancer, but ALS is too much for anybody. You fought nobly and long, and I never saw you lose your dignity.

Through it all, George has been a constant companion, caregiver, husband and friend. You two were incredibly lucky to have found each other.

A few weeks after the official "swan song" at the Washington Folk Festival, Mary and George came to Bias Studios and recorded "Singing Through the Hard Times" with us for the Utah CD. Mary's voice was still powerful, and her harmonies right on in the chorus. She and George sang from an isolation room, because the big studio, where the rest of us were, wasn't wheelchair accessible. I believe she had a good time, and in a number of ways she made it a much better recording. I'm glad she graced us with her presence.

Goodbye, Mary.

Dan