Mary Jeanne Carrera

Mary Jeanne (Adamson) Carrera, died November 21, 2016, at age 78. She was born in Ft. Riley, Kansas, November 15, 1938, to the late David and Ethel Adamson. Following her parents' divorce, her mother married the late Leon Loeb, and the family moved to Urbana, Maryland, in 1947. Her parents became active socially and in civic affairs. Her mother wrote the column, "The Great Frederick Fare," for the Frederick News-Post. Mary Jeanne graduated from Frederick HS, attended Reed College, and graduated from American University. She married Nicholas Carrera in 1963, and they moved to Urbana, Illinois, where he attended graduate school.

She worked variously as secretary, elementary school teacher, and conference planner. After moving to Falls Church, Virginia, she was a substitute teacher and a teacher's aide working with autistic children. At Falls Church HS, as a volunteer, she developed the Career Center. As its first full-time director, she was effective in encouraging and helping students to pursue career goals and higher education that they might not have considered on their own. After retiring, she and her husband moved to her childhood home in Urbana, Maryland.

In addition to her parents, Mary Jeanne was preceded in death by her brother, William Adamson. She is survived by Nicholas, her husband of 53 years, their children Alexandra and John, his wife Carol Waldmann, and their children, Ember, Orion, and Arno.

The family will receive visitors, 11:30-1:30, on November 26, at the Keeney & Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., Frederick, followed by a luncheon. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Alzheimer's Association, Daybreak Adult Day Services, or Hospice of Frederick County (addresses online). And please raise a toast to a person whose smile could light up the room, and who enriched the lives of all who knew her.