By Emily J. Minor
HIGHLAND BEACH — Marie A. Beary, who broke the glass ceiling over and over again as a prominent New York attorney and then taught her four children the importance of feminism in a modern world, died Sept. 25. She was 90.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Mrs Beary graduated cum laude from St. John’s University School of Law in 1944, breaking into a profession that was both male-dominated and ethnically exclusive. But she was undaunted. Mrs. Beary met her husband of almost 60 years when they were young attorneys, working on opposite sides of the courtroom. They married in 1947 just after the war. Patrick Beary died in 2005.
Daughter Roberta Beary says her mother wasn’t the kind of woman who sat the kids down and outlined her feminist manifesto. Mrs. Beary taught by example, she said, reminding her daughters to reach out, aim high, and always keep female influences in their lives. Her sons heard the same message.
“As I got older, she told me to make sure I stayed friends with other women, because it was very important to have women friendships,” says Roberta Beary, also an attorney. “Women who do things with their husbands exclusively, she thought that was not a good way to go.”
The Bearys moved to Highland Beach in 1988, and their daughter said her mother “took to Florida like a fish to water.”
“She loved Florida,” said Roberta Beary, who said her mother was involved with the condo board, library fundraising and the local symphony. She also loved a good mystery novel and learned to play bridge.
But before her move to Florida, Mrs. Beary spent her professional life marking change and making history.
In 1960, she filed suit against the Queens Bar Association, ending an 84-year ban against women members. She was the youngest woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1964, Mrs. Beary was appointed assistant New York state attorney general, retiring from the state when she and her husband retired to Florida. She received commendation from the National Association of Women Lawyers for her advancement of women’s rights and was nominated to the Women’s Hall of Fame.
“My mother always stressed that women should be able to support themselves and not rely on anybody else,” her daughter said. “I didn’t realize growing up how unusual that was.”
Besides Roberta Beary, survivors include another daughter, Patricia, an attorney; and two sons, Kevin, a professor of English at the University of Florence, and David, a retired New York City captain of detectives. She leaves 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Beary’s services were held Oct. 4, and the family asks that any memorials be given to the Marie A. Beary Memorial Scholarship at her alma mater: St. John’s University School of Law, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439.
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