Media Reviews

There was something about Mary... Portland Press Herald 2-18-1999 SACO - Mary Kerry Libby was a familiar sight along Route 1, her blond hair tucked under a baseball cap, her long-legged stride hinting at her sunny disposition.  She walked almost daily to keep fit. From her Ross Road home she would hike into the center of town, past the Kerrymen Pub owned by her brothers, and double back.  People who knew her would toot and wave as they drive by. “And everyone knew Mary,” said David Kerry, one of her four brothers. She was the daughter of the late Raymond Kerry, the city's former police chief. Her mother, Grace, was the children's librarian at the Dyer Library for years. And her husband, Gene Libby, had been York County's district attorney.  So when the health-conscious 44-year old died of the rare Burkitts lymphoma in March 1997, many mourned in Saco and beyond.

All in the Kerry family:  The road race and walk are organized by Mary Kerry Libby's husband  Gene Libby, sister, Ann and Brothers, David, John and Richard Photo courtesy of Portland Press Herald 2-18-1999

“She was quite a lady,” said David Kerry, who accompanied his sister to many of her cancer treatments. “This thing struck her down when none of us expected it.”  Two years later, Libby's family has resurrected the annual Kerrymen Pub Road Race and established Mary's Walk to benefit cancer research and education. The event will follow much of Libby's walking route.  The road race will be held Sunday, March 14, at noon, followed by Mary's Walk at 12:30 p.m. As usual, the race is scheduled on the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, in recognition of the Kerry family's Irish heritage. Popular throughout the 1980s, the Kerrymen Pub Road Race was discontinued when the Kerry brothers found it too difficult to organize given the growing demands of their business. 

The race/walk is being organized by Libby's brothers, David, Paul, Richard and John, her sister, Ann, her husband Gene, as well as other family members and friends.  The logo for the race/walk is a Celtic design featuring the word slancha, which means “cheers” in Gaelic. That was the word on the license plate of Libby's Honda convertible.  Pledges collected from the four-mile race and 2.5 mile walk will benefit the Maine Cancer Research and Education Foundation and The Bryan Fund. 

The Bryan Fund was established for Sanford resident Bryan Kuprewicz, a well-known local runner who is battling pseudomyxoma peritonei, another rare form of cancer. Kuprewicz recently underwent surgery in Washington, D.C., where doctors removed a tumor and the cancer found throughout his abdomen. 

The father of two is recovering at home now, and he is pleased by the Kerrys' fund-raising effort.  “It means a lot to me and I hope it can be helpful to others,” said Kuprewicz, 42. “But I'm not wasting any time saying woe is me. I'm using that energy to heal.”  Joel Croteau, one of the organizers of the race/walk, was shocked when he learned that Kuprewicz was ill because the lanky runner always appeared to be so healthy. 

Croteau recalled how Kuprewicz would join races at the spur or the moment, without registering, just to run for the fun of it. And at the end of some races, when other runners would enjoy pastry offered to the finishers, Kuprewicz would reach into his knapsack for a yogurt. 

“Bryan is a little above the average runner,” said Croteau, who has run a few races with Kuprewicz. “He takes meticulous care of himself, he works out all the time and he eats all the right foods.”  Croteau said it seems appropriate that the event will honor a woman who fought cancer and a man who is fighting the disease. He believes Kuprewicz, a social worker, would run the race if he could. 

“Bryan is one of those conscientious people,” Croteau said. “He does and does and does for other people. Now it's time for others to help him.” The Kerrys feel the same way about their sister. Mary Kerry Libby was a binding force in her family. The mother of four often hosted holiday gatherings and usually was the first to volunteer to help others. And while she generally kept a low profile, preferring the life of a homemaker to that of a public person, her family has decided that a little fame might suit her now, for a good cause. 

“I think she would be happy to be helping other people,” David Kerry said.  The Kerrymen Pub Road Race and Mary's Walk Both the race and the walk will be held Sunday, March 14. The race starts at the pub at 512 Main St., Saco.  The race begins at noon. The walk starts at 12:30 p.m. Registration and pledge forms are available at the pub, or by calling 284-4446. Donations to The Bryan Fund for Bryan Kuprewicz may be made in care of the Sanford Institution for Savings, P.O. Box 472, Sanford, Maine 04073.