Mary Alice Linen Warner passed away peacefully on October 28, 2022, at The Osborn in Rye, N.Y., where she was much loved by residents and staff alike.
Born on January 28, 1930, in New Jersey, where she lived throughout her childhood, she married Kent Warner after graduating from Smith College in 1951.
While raising four children in Westchester, Mary Alice received a degree in counseling and worked as a family and youth counselor in the White Plains Youth Services Bureau for nine years.
After moving to New Hampshire in the early 1990s, she volunteered for 16 years in the state prison, leading anger management and parent support groups and coaching inmates in parenting their children. Always active in her local church, she was also politically active, running for NH State Representative.
Returning to Westchester, she and her husband founded and developed 5 Steps to Five, a nonprofit based in Port Chester, which focuses on the crucial years of brain development in young children.
“While small in stature, Mary Alice was a giant fighting for our cause: to support parents seeking to nurture their baby’s brain development,” said 5 Steps Executive Director Lisa Field. “Without her skill, compassion, and determination, this organization would not exist. Mary Alice was the one who knew that we needed to empower parents in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. The families, staff, and board of 5 Steps to Five are forever in her debt.”
Co-founder Allen Clark added, “Mary Alice was a gracious, good-humored, intelligent, and kind woman. Throughout her life, she was true and consistent in her desire to help others. She was not only a major influence in the creation of 5 Steps to Five, but also in keeping it true to its mission.”
A lover of the outdoors, Mrs. Warner relished yearly sailing trips in the British Virgin Islands, summers on Squam Lake, swimming, boating, and gardening. She participated in book clubs and stayed in close touch with her large family.
She leaves her husband Kent; her children: Schuyler Warner, Susan Sriram, Stuart Warner, and Sally Adler; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Rye Presbyterian Church in the spring.
Donations in Mary Alice Warner’s memory may be made to 5 Steps to Five.
