Issue:
December 2024 | Obituary
Friends and colleagues pay tribute to Mary Corbett, a welcoming and familiar presence at the FCCJ, who has died aged 66
Mary Ann Corbett passed away peacefully, aged 66, at the Yokohama City Minato Red Cross hospital on Wednesday, November 13. Born on February 13, 1958, in Nagoya, she is survived by her mother Kayoko (Iida), her younger sister Evelyn and cousins in Japan and the United States. She was preceded in death by her father Harry Francis Corbett, who passed away in 1993.
Mary attended primary and high school at the Yokohama International School, where she was active in swimming and the performing arts. She attended the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a degree in Communications.
Fluent in Japanese and English, Mary's career focused on bridging the gap between cultures through work as an interpreter, writer, documentary film producer and communications specialist. Early on in her career she formed her own company, Cresner Media, that specialized in event planning for corporations, government agencies and celebrities. Her clients included the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, the legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna, and the WTA Women's Professional Tennis Association. Her documentary films included work on dolphin and whale protection, and a short film on the life of Wally Yonamine, a Japanese-American multisport athlete who played in the Japanese professional baseball league, and prior to that was the first Japanese-American to play professional American football.
Mary served on various boards, including the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ), Yokohama Bluff Clinic, Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, Yokohama International School, and Ark Animal Rescue.
An active supporter of various charities, Mary volunteered countless hours supporting groups involved in causes such as animal welfare, dental support for children in the Philippines and social activities for children with severe disabilities. She helped drive different community initiatives, such as gaining approval from a Yokohama neighborhood association to have the first foreign-run booth at the annual Ōkagawa cherry blossom festival.
Mary was a long-time member of the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, where she captained the women's field hockey team and supported many of the Club's international social and cultural events. Recently she was instrumental in conceiving and launching Mollison's Gallery, an area in the Club's main dining facility that is now used to showcase local artists and craft specialists. In September, she single-handedly championed an exhibition in Mollison's Gallery on the career of Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese to play professional baseball in the U.S. She also helped organize a related lunch press conference on Murakami-san at the FCCJ that helped bring long-overdue media recognition of his pioneering role in Japanese and American professional baseball.
In recent months, Mary was active volunteering and organizing various community events, including the 100th anniversary of the Yokohama International School (YIS).
"Mary was an important figure in our community,” said YIS Head of School Craig Couts. “She was very active in alumni activities and was a leading figure in bringing people together. The recent alumni events to celebrate our 100-year anniversary were organized with considerable support and help from Mary, and I was only sorry that she was not there to be part of the celebrations and see the fruits of her labour. She was talked about and fondly remembered at events and many tributes were made to her in connection to her contributions and the spirit she created in our community. Mary will be very much missed and forever remembered as she was and always will be part of the YIS community.”
Mary was a gifted singer and musician. She was a vocalist for several bands in Yokohama, and often lent her natural ear and piano talents to various cultural and social gatherings.
Most of all, Mary will be remembered for her warmth, wit, humor and charm. She was a natural conversationalist and everyone's favorite dinner companion. There will be a void left without her, but she made the world a happier place and left a positive message and enduring memories for all who met her.
Tom Tyrrell is from Chicago, Illinois, and a long-time resident of Japan. He worked for close to 30 years as the Asia Communications Manager for U.S. electronics company Molex. He currently works part-time in a guest relations role for the Hakuba Hospitality Group.
