Mary was a well-known benefactor for Jersey City and a member of the Jersey City Woman’s Club. She was instrumental in establishing the All Saints’ Church in Millington (completed in 1906) and in securing a parkland at Little Italy Park for the city’s children. The ‘Grand Old Woman’ died in New Jersey aged 80 in December 1904. A fountain in the park was subsequently unveiled to her memory and the park itself was renamed Mary Benson Park.