Mary Guerriero Austrom

Mary (Anna Maria) Guerriero Austrom passed away at home surrounded by her loving family, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mary was born in Capriglia Irpina, Italy to parents Antonio and Carmela DeStefano Guerriero. Her family immigrated to Beamsville, ON, Canada, where she grew up and graduated from Beamsville High School before completing undergraduate studies at Brock University. She was a distinguished alumni at both institutions. Mary earned a PhD in Social Psychology from York University, where she also met her husband Doug. They married in Ontario, Canada and moved to Indianapolis to pursue their careers at Indiana University and raise their family.

Dr. Austrom had a distinguished career at the Indiana University School of Medicine where she served as the School’s Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs and the Wesley P. Martin Professor of Alzheimer’s Education and Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry. She played a critical leadership role in the Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center for nearly three decades, leading its outreach and recruitment core. She served as President of the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and on the National Board of Directors. Mary’s Alzheimer’s research and dedication to improving caregiving education have positively impacted countless lives.

Outside of her professional career, Mary was a passionate cook, a skilled knitter, and an avid traveler. Mary will be remembered fondly by many for the open house parties she hosted and the Italian feasts she prepared. Mary always had knitting needles in her hand, no matter where she went, and was quick to gift friends with socks, hats, and baby blankets. Every holiday season, Mary was infamous for decorating her family home with a forest of Christmas trees. Above all else, Mary’s proudest accomplishment was her loving family. She was at her happiest when the whole family was together.

Mary’s spirit, her boundless love, inclusiveness, and kindness, lives on through her loved ones. Mary is survived by her beloved husband of 34 years, Douglas R. Austrom; her five children, Jon Anthony, Douglas S., Philip, Katerina, and Sofia; her daughter-in-law, Katie Murray; her siblings, Frank, Josie, and John Guerriero. She lived and loved deeply and her legacy will live on.

Please join us for a memorial service to celebrate Mary Austrom on Saturday, November 23, 2019 from 1:00-2:30pm at St. Pius X Parish, 7200 Sarto Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46240. In lieu of flowers, Mary’s family kindly asks that donations be made to the Village of Merici, http://villageofmerici.org/?page_id=873, or the IU School of Medicine Diversity Recruitment scholarship https://medicine.iu.edu/give/gift-types/fundraising/diversity-recruitment-scholarship/.