Mari Mayhan Kane

Mari Mayhan Kane of Carlisle, PA, (formerly Bel Air, MD) passed away peacefully on December 11, 2022, at UPMC Carlisle after a brief illness. Mari was born on November 6, 1940, to Harvey and Thelma Mayhan in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Towson, Maryland. After graduating from Towson High School in 1958, she married James Edward Kane III in 1960 and moved to western Pennsylvania. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1966 at Slippery Rock University and after having her 2 children, Megan and Colin, she returned to Slippery Rock in 1982 where she earned a Master’s degree in counseling services.

As a mental health counselor for Catholic Charities in New Castle, and then in private practice, she dedicated her career to giving children and adults the tools they needed to manage a wide range of mental health disorders.

Mari had a passion for reading with a particular fondness for British mysteries. Teaching multiple literature courses at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD, was a joy for her. She also enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and the United States, watching Hercule Poirot on PBS, attending Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts, going to museums, and collecting antiques.

Mari relocated to Carlisle, PA, in 2019 to be closer to family. The family thanks her wonderful friends and caregivers, Deborah, Kate, Amanda, Pat, Rebecca, Kris, Pam, and Jonna for allowing her to live a full, rich, and independent life until her last days. The memories of her many outings will always be treasured. She loved the time spent at the Carlisle Antique Mall, picking sunflowers at Meadowbrooke Gourds and going to bookstores throughout Cumberland County. The family is comforted knowing that her final trip was to the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop, a place she loved.

Thank you to the Finkenbinder family for establishing and running the neighborhood library box, a destination that became a daily part of Mari’s routine. While dementia robbed her of the ability to read novels, she loved being surrounded by books and she collected works from her favorite authors with each trip down the street. During her strolls throughout the neighborhood she always commented on the beautiful surroundings as she gathered leaves, sticks, and pinecones that she would fashion into beautiful arrangements.

Mari was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, James E. Kane III. She is survived by her daughter, Megan Kane-Mangol, of Carlisle (husband Scott), her son, Colin Kane, of Dallas (wife Erin), grandchildren Nick and Leah Bowman of Carlisle, Owen and Charlie Kane of Dallas, Eric Mangol (wife Kelly) of Waxhaw, NC, and Rebecca Mangol of Camp Hill, PA, twin sister Margaret McVicker, and nieces Shelby Cunningham and Tracey Arter.

A reception in celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, January 14, from 2-4 at 135 Strayer Drive, Carlisle PA, for friends, family, and neighbors. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mari’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Pennsylvania (Harrisburg office), the Bosler Memorial Library, or to WITF, the public TV and radio station of Harrisburg.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hoffman Funeral Home & Crematory, 2020 W. Trindle Rd., Carlisle, PA 17013. To sign online guestbook, please visit www.HoffmanFH.com.