Mabs Mango
March 27, 1927 to
October 5, 2005
Mabel Grover Mango was born on March 27, 1927 in Waltham, Massachusetts and spent most of her childhood in Gloversville NY. She graduated from Antioch College, then traveled and worked in orphanages in France to help children recovered from family trauma that occurred during World War II.
She moved to the Washington, DC area in 1953. In 1960 she was one of eight women pilot project at the National Institute of Mental Health for training female health counselors. The study was replicated at John Hopkins University, which helped established a Master Degree Program in mental health counseling and served as a model for the Psychiatric Institute of America. Later Mabs worked with drug-abusing teenagers at Karma House in Rockville, a training project that became model for Maryland.
Mabs received a Master Degree from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville in 1975. Mabs attended training and workshops by Virginia Satir, almost in a yearly basis. By the time of her death she had an extensive library of Virginia’s book, tapes and videotapes. Mabs was one of the first members of the International Human Learning Resources, and organization started by Virginia. She later joined the Institute of International Connection, who has done extensive training in Eastern Europe.
Mabs supervised the Family Therapy Adolescent Program ad the former Taylor Manor Hospital in Ellicott City where she practiced family therapy and trained mental health professional in Family Therapy for more than 16 years. She also had a private family therapy practice in Bethesda and worked part time at the Family Life Center in Columbia.
Her commitment to helping families was underscored by her passion for serving victims of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. Through her involvement with Friends of Chernobyl Center, U.S. she traveled to Ukraine to meet with affected children and families, helped establish social services and contributed to charitable fund raising.
Besides her professional and organizational membership and contributions, Mabs was also a member of the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. And it is through this Church that a special project to bring children who were affected by the Chernobyl disaster to Maryland for a summer program in 2006.
Mabs was diagnosed with lung cancer in August. At that time it was also found that her cancer has spread to her joints. She spent time considering her diagnosis and it was also at this time that she and Anne Nerin talked a lot on the phone. Mabs cancer spread fast and she and her daughter Cecily were working on having Hospice involved. However Mabs got so ill that she needed hospitalization, and while at the hospital they realized that she may not be able to go home to die as she had hope. At the same time she was able to say good bye to her family members, and the friends who were able to be there at that time. Mabs died October 5, early in the morning.
She is survived by her daughter Cecily Mango- with her husband Harriet and son Henry, the grandson that Mabs loves so much, she is also survived by her sister Jean Grover Sylvester, and her brother Charles. Close to Mabs were also her nieces Judith and Anne and her Nephew David.
Mabs memorial service was at her church, Saturday, December 3…where family and friends celebrated her life and her gifts.