Mary Jane Gormley
MARCH 3, 1940 – DECEMBER 9, 2022
Mary Jane Norris Gormley has passed on.
It was diagnoses of COPD in 1998, which happened to have a positive effect on a wider audience. Searching for a way to lessen the effect of difficulty breathing she came up with the idea of using a harmonica to exercise her lungs, and thereby strengthen them. She became a member of SPAH, and through her contacts with entertainers and manufacturers, developed an appreciation for the instrument as a musical instrument but, more importantly, a medical aid. This led her to team up with a respiratory therapist/musician, Larry Vesely, who worked at Bloomington Hospital, and the two co-authored a book on Harmonicas for Health that is available for free download at www.mjngormley.com. She partnered with manufacturers and local doctors to get large numbers of harmonicas and deliver them to elementary school children in Monroe County, along with music and complete instructions arranged by her grandchildren.
