Mary K. Wolff, of Arlington, Massachusetts died August 23, 2026, following a courageous decades-long battle with metastatic breast cancer. 

At the time of her death, Mary was Professor Emerita at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she served on the faculty from 1976-1982, and 1988-2021. She served on the faculty of University of Arizona, Tucson from 1982-88. In both institutions, she taught courses in dance composition, dance history, and senior seminars. During her long career, she worked as a dancer and choreographer in multiple dance genres, including ballet, modern dance, opera, and traditional dance.

Mary’s choreographic work was commissioned by numerous national and international dance companies, including the Arizona Dance Theater, the Southwest Chamber Ensemble (Tucson), the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble (Cambridge, MA), Westwind International Folk Ensemble (San Francisco), The Christmas Revels (Cambridge, MA), and Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center.

Her work was presented in the feature film Once Around (Universal Pictures), and in the film Celebrate: A Time to Dance (WGBH Boston). She received choreographic grants from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Her comprehensive body of work can be found on the Boston Conservatory at Berklee website. 

As a dancer, Mary toured nationally and internationally with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans, including their 1960s tours of the former Soviet Union and Latin America. In the 1970s, she performed with the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble in Sweden and throughout the Northeast United States. 

Mary K. Wolff was born on September 3, 1946, in Dayton, Ohio. She attended Corpus Christi School and Julienne High School. She received a B.A. in History and Philosophy from Duquesne University, an M.A. in Folklore from Indiana University, and an M.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from UCLA. 

Throughout her life, Mary participated fully in dance and dance-related activities, and became an avid practitioner of T’ai Chi. She generously shared her knowledge and skills with innumerable dance groups and associations. Mary was an outgoing, positive, and life-affirming person, who lived life to the fullest. Her creativity and intellectual curiosity were evident in every setting, both personal and professional. Most recently, she traveled to Greece and the Balkans, attending and contributing to International Dance workshops. 

Mary is survived by her beloved son Clayton Wolff Burke, his wife Tiffany, and their son Quillen, all of Somerville, MA. She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, William H. Wolff, Jr., and Penny Wolff, of Dayton, and an extended family of cousins, nieces, and nephews, who live throughout the United States. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Grace and William H. Wolff, of Dayton, and her sister, Sue Ann McMakin of Midlothian, VA. Her son Clayton is planning a celebration of Mary’s life in the Boston area, with the date and place to be determined.

Clayton asks that if you knew his mom, contact MaryKWolffLegacy@gmail.com with your memories, questions, or inquiries about where to make donations in her name to fight breast cancer.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.