Aug. 4, 1930 – Oct. 31, 2013

Mary Rita Stambusky, a longtime Davis resident active in local dramatic circles and engaged in St. James Catholic Church, Davis, since the 1960s, died at Kaiser Vacaville early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013.

She was born in Chicago on Aug. 4, 1930, and attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C., as well as University of Wisconsin in Madison. She was awarded a master of arts in drama at Wisconsin, and later earned a master of fine arts degree at UC Davis. At Catholic University, she met Alan Stambusky, who was also in drama. They were married in 1955. The couple moved to Davis in the late 1950s when Alan took up a position in the UC Davis department of dramatic art and speech as a director and teacher of drama.
Mary was a lifelong actress and teacher of drama and speech. She taught public speaking for several years in the UCD department of rhetoric.
Under her stage name Mary Trojan, she appeared in numerous plays, sometimes with her husband Alan, in the Sacramento Theatre Company, Music Circus, Show Below Company, Davis Musical Theatre Company, Garbeau Dinner Theater and the UC Davis drama department. Along with her acting and teaching, she was a devoted fan of opera and classical music.
At the same time, she was an active member of the St James parish community, serving for more than 40 years as a lector or reader of Scripture at Mass, and for more than a dozen years was chair of the Liturgy Committee, which planned religious services for the parish. She was St. James Woman of the Year in 2008.
Her husband Alan predeceased her in 2012.
The funeral is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5, at noon in St. James Church, 1275 B St., Davis, with a potluck reception following at the Veterans’ Memorial Center, 203 E. 14th St., Davis..

Comments

comments