Mary Hyatt Schnabel passed away peacefully on Thursday August 15, 2024 at the age of 102. She was born in Washington, Indiana on February 2, 1922. After graduating from college in 1940, she was briefly employed at the NBC radio station, 50 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. (NBC was then called the Blue Network, ABC being the Red Network.) Shortly thereafter she worked as a model for the Harry Conover Agency, appearing on magazine covers and in many photographs and illustrations. She left the Agency after a year to join McCall Corporation as a Stylist in the Pattern Division. This was during the war when home sewing was at its peak and Mary traveled to department stores across the country presenting fashion shows, sewing demonstrations and lectures to promote McCall patterns. She also appeared at fundraisers and fashion oriented lunches at some of New York's largest hotels. Miss Hyatt's boss at McCalls was its publisher, Mr. Marvin Pierce, whose daughter was the wife of the first President Bush.

In 1947 Mary Hyatt married Dr. Truman G. Schnabel, Jr., of Philadelphia. Mary was a participant in numerous cultural affairs in Philadelphia for many years. She was Coordinator for Super Sunday for two years, 1973-1974, when it was at the height of its popularity as a Parkway Museum event. She was active at the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1969, first as a docent, becoming Chairman of that group from 1974-77. From 1978 to 1982 Mary was employed as a staff member, second in command of the Public Relations Department at the Museum. In 1982 she became Coordinator of The American Association of Museums for its Annual Meeting which was held in Philadelphia. For over 25 years until the present time, Mary was a member of the Women's Committee of the Art Museum, serving as President of that Committee in 1992. She lectured for many years, both locally and in the northeast, on costume history and lifestyles through the ages. In addition to her affiliation with the Art Museum, she was a former member of the Board of the Friends of Ludington Library, the Women's Committee of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Faculty, The Board of Women Visitors of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, The Bryn Mawr Civic Association and The Women's Advisory Committee for the Bicentennial. From 1999 until her death, she lived at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr where she served as a member of its Board for 6 years, and as Chairman for an additional two.

Mary's husband of 61 years died in 2009. Mary was the mother of four children, two of whom predeceased her: a son Daniel 1989 and a daughter Ann in 2011. She is survived by two sons, Paul Hyatt Schnabel of Burlington, VT and Brooke George Schnabel of Northampton, MA, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Donations in Mary's name may be made to the Beaumont Scholarship Fund: 601 N. Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 or to The Women's Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art: P. O. Box 7646 Philadelphia, PA 19110.

Relatives and friends are invited on Friday August 23rd to her Funeral Mass, 11:00 AM at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Rd Bryn Mawr, PA. Interment is private.
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A Celebration of Mary's life will be held at 2:00pm at Beaumont 601 N. Ithan Ave Bryn Mawr, PA