December 13, 1946 – February 20, 2026
by
Joan Grauman Morse
AAA Historian

I would like to acknowledge and thank Rita Barnea, Marilyn O’Neil, Joan Cochran Sommers, Jeanne Velonis, Mary’s granddaughter Kaitlyn King and a special thank you to Harley Jones for assisting me with this tribute over the past 24 hours. We all set aside our many plans to honor our dear friend Mary who passed away yesterday.

It is not easy to write about the loss of a decades-long close friend. Mary Tokarski and I met and became friends in 1995 at an accordion festival in New Jersey. That was 31 years ago. We spoke regularly from that moment on until very recently when dementia made it too hard for her to handle a phone. I keep thinking: how could dementia consume such an accomplished, bright, talented, capable and energetic person? Sadly, it did. I will miss her dearly, as will her colleagues, friends and family worldwide.

Harley Jones of Accordions Worldwide will attach to this tribute several articles on Mary’s life in the accordion world. These articles beautifully describe Mary’s remarkable accomplishments with her beloved instrument since the age of seven.

Therefore, my portion of this article will consist solely of special memories of times spent with Mary. Marilyn O’Neil, Jeanne Velonis, Joan Cochran Sommers, Gary Daverne and I will share our memories with you now. Please feel free to send me your memories of Mary and they can be added to this article at any time.

I will begin with memories of my own that have been playing in my head all day today. It goes without saying that I truly loved listening to Mary play her accordion: her solo performances and her performances with her two siblings, Julie Cardona and Walter Kasprzyk in the “K Trio”. They were superb and a totally delightful trio!!

Video above: The K Trio performs at the 1999 AAA Festival. Selections include: “Jolly Caballero”, “Carnival of Venice”, “Accordiana” excerpts. Thanks to Cory Pesaturo who found the tape in his home movies. His father had filmed the event.

Mary and I met when I was a vendor at all of the accordion festivals on the east coast. My artwork was on tee shirts, jewelry, etc. in our (former) business “SqueezinArt”. Mary was a dedicated customer and delighted in finding things for her sister Julie and brother Walt.

Then, in 2007, my friend and colleague in the Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society (WMAS), Karen Malan Uribe, asked Mary and me if we would like to collaborate with her and write a children’s book about the accordion – all things about the instrument: its structure, how to maintain it and its various sounds. Mary and I agreed happily!!

Click to enlarge pictures

For the next year, the three of us joyously created this book together, “An Accordion! What is That?”. Karen wrote it, I illustrated it and created its mascot (a tiny bee named “Buzz Treble”), and Mary was our accordionist and narrator. We literally laughed together all the way to publication (we totally enjoyed creating this book and CD!) and have been thrilled with the book’s success. The three of us also stayed as close as sisters from then on. Each year we sent each other “bee” gifts and Mary – a terrific baker – would send us the best homemade chocolates imaginable!

One sweet memory is of the many times Mary stayed at my house, and she would call her husband Frank each night. The laughter was endless and the calls always ended with a heartfelt “I love you too!” Mary was devastated when Frank passed away in 2015.

After Mary’s sister Julie Cardona passed away in 2021, Mary left Connecticut and moved to Tennessee to be close to her beloved granddaughter Kaitlyn, I was thrilled hearing how happy she was and about the many things she was involved in…. until about two years ago when she began to change. Dementia is a heartbreaking disease.
I will always miss my dear friend Mary. Always.

Mary taught many, many students through the years. Her students all described her as very involved in their success and very encouraging. One student, who began studying with Mary as an adult, is Jeanne Velonis. Jeanne, a recording engineer and producer, is now an accomplished accordionist performing regularly with the New York-based group “Bachtopus”. Here is Jeanne’s tribute to her teacher, Mary:

“My study with Mary began in 2011, and I was probably a major challenge of a student, given my lack of technical background paired with my love of what we might call “non-standard repertoire”, as an adult student. Mary may not have felt the way I did about some of the music I wanted to explore, but she was absolutely going to teach me the skills I needed to be able to reach my goals. Her focus was incredible. At some point I realized that while teaching each lesson, she was planning out my next several in her head. Among the many things I could say she taught me was how to develop a narrative line through a piece. Another was how to practice.

Once I had learned that when she or Julie did particularly well in their accordion lessons, as children, they got to go out for ice cream, I occasionally did the same myself after a lesson went well. (Hey! It’s tradition!).

Over the years we had many lessons, lunch excursions, and trips to hear concerts together. Mary loved strawberries and her decor was replete with them. Whenever I see a strawberry-themed piece of jewelry or art or a kitchen item, I think of Mary! I will miss her very much. I will continue to hear her voice in my head as I am working through something seemingly impossible, reminding me that playing a passage correctly once is not enough! I have to be able to play it five time through correctly to really have it! and meanwhile cheering me on.”

— Jeanne Velonis, February 20, 2026

Joan Cochran Sommers, world renowned award-winning accordionist, conductor, arranger and professor has worked with Mary for several decades worldwide at various accordion festivals and Coupe Mondiale competitions. Here are her Joan’s words:

“I met Mary, her sister Julie, and their brother Walter when they were very young and performing in the Titano Accordion Exhibit rooms during a NAMM Convention in Chicago. These three Kasprzyk siblings became well known in the future as the “K” Trio and entertained many hundred of listeners throughout a long period of time, both on stage and through their recordings. They were outstanding with technical proficiency, musicianship, and rapport with their audiences!

Mary and I shared many wonderful times together while traveling to various Coupe Mondiale competitions all over the world. She also played concertmaster in many different accordion orchestras I had the pleasure of conducting. We knew each other quite well. Mary was fun to be with, but she was also a serious musician, a really fine performer, one who became a wonderful teacher and a person who represented the best in the accordion world. She never stopped learning and listening. She will indeed be missed by all those who may have met her during a workshop, perhaps, or have heard her play on stages, small and large, by herself or with others. Mary was loved by all of us! May she Rest In Peace!”

— Joan Cochran Sommers, February 21, 2026

Gary Daverne is New Zealand’s most prolific composer and arranger of music for the accordion. His compositions and arrangements are published and performed regularly worldwide. Gary is the Music Director Emeritus of the Auckland Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra he founded in 1975, retiring in 2010. Here are Gary’s words and memories:

“Thank you, Mary for all those wonderful musical moments that we shared together, whether it be in the USA, New Zealand or the Czech Republic. You were always a dream to work and travel with: For leading all those accordion orchestras that I conducted, with so much confidence and support and performing and recording most of my original accordion music.

Positive, innovative, an amazing musician and a great, loveable friend. Your recorded music will live on, as will the memory of an outstanding accordionist and friend.“

— Gary Daverne ONZM

Marilyn O’Neil played the accordion in her youth, then returned to the instrument as an adult and began studying with Mary. Marilyn describes those great times and how she and Mary created the Connecticut Accordion Association together and formed their orchestra, which is still active today.

“Thank you, Mary!’

“If you truly have music in your soul, you bring it to fruition in your life. And if you’re lucky, you have good teachers. Good teachers teach you more than how to read music. They foster the musical spirit in the student and help to create a lifelong “song.”

Every musician I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing has loved to tell me their story. And having been a professional listener for 40 years, I truly loved to listen. But now I will tell you my story and in doing so, pay tribute to one of my teachers.

I played accordion by ear at the age of 4, listening to my sister who was taking lessons with Bob Vitale. I began studying with Bob at the age of 10 during the heyday of the accordion. I stopped accordion lessons when he closed the music school in 1969 and I went on to play guitar. I returned to my first love, the accordion, in 2002 and bought an accordion from Faithe Deffner (Titano) and, at her recommendation, began studying with Mary Tokarski, whom Faithe called “one of the best players and teachers in the world.”

Mary became an integral part of my musical story from that point on. Like a musical physician of sorts, she quickly assessed my level of playing and pointed out any issues she saw that needed to be addressed. I realized that this lady had high expectations of her students. But most notably, Mary had a knack of gently fostering every bit of talent and desire to learn. The expectation of excellence was silently communicated. I listened. To say I learned from Mary is an understatement. I still hear her voice to this day as I play. And I always will.

But Mary listened to my voice too! Having a history of competing and playing in accordion ensembles and orchestras as a student at Vitale Music, I longed for that experience again. Not the competing part, but the orchestra part. Mary had a long history with the AAA as a board member, but notably as an accordion champion along with her sister, Julie Cardona and brother, Walter Kasprzyk. Their combined accomplishments are too many to record here. I realized that when I walked into her studio for the first time and saw wall to wall trophies that dated back to her childhood as a student at Fernino Music School. I recalled how, as a competitor at statewide competitions, Fernino Music School was THE force to be reckoned with.

I knew Mary was the one to satisfy my yearning to play in an orchestra again. So I began the relentless, constant pursuit of bringing that desire to fruition. I needled her to no end, Marilyn style. I realize now that she was assessing me to see how serious I was and, more importantly, how hard I would work at making it happen. She knew she had a worker in me. She knew I had the music in me.

Mary had the contacts from her years of study and earning awards at Fernino Music, from teaching and performing with her siblings as the K-Trio. Most importantly, she had the AAA.

Within 2 years of beginning my studies with Mary, we formed the Connecticut Accordion Association. She enlisted Linda Soley Reed as our first conductor. We recruited accordionists from all over Connecticut. I even brought my first teacher, Bob Vitale, back to the accordion after years of leaving his instrument in the case! Within a few months of starting the CAA, we had our first concert at a local performance venue in Waterbury, CT. The K-Trio was featured, along with the CAA orchestra.

The CAA was the brainchild of 3 hard working, hard headed and experienced women whose combined traits served them well. It continues to this day, despite the devastating loss of Julie Cardona.

The CAA became an important part of our journey together. Over the years, many accordionists returned to their first love, found a place to complete themselves as lovers of music… and the accordion.

My journey, thanks to Mary and Linda, took me to the AAA, where I had the honor of playing under a large number of incredible conductors, meeting wonderful mentors as an AAA Board member and participating in accordion events held in the United States. It also took me to the Accordion Pops Orchestra, with performances in and around New Jersey and Philadelphia. It brought people into my life who have become dear friends. It fostered the desire to bring the accordion back to young people.

Mary once said that I was like a sister to her. I have 2 sisters, so I know how dear that bond is. Like Mary, I lost a sister. Sisters have intense love, struggles, spats… but always intense love. The love sustains us during times of struggle, and cradles us during times of loss. I have lost my musical sister, but her voice will forever whisper through the music.

Thank You, Mary!”

— Marilyn O’Neil
February 20, 2026

I will close by asking that you take some time and read the amazing articles on Mary’s accomplishments that are attached below. Included are also some lovely videos of Mary’s performances and some joyous photos of Mary in her beloved “accordion world”.

A service will be held for Mary in Tennessee in the first week of March (TBA). The family is making efforts to have it live-streamed. I will send more info as soon as I can.

Joan Grauman Morse
graumanjoan98r@gmail.com

AccordionUSA.news articles

https://accordionusa.news/mary-tokarski-new-aaa-president/

https://accordionusa.news/celebrating-50-years-of-accordion-music/

https://accordionusa.news/article-linda-soley-reed-and-mary-tokarski-lifelong-advocates-for-the-accordion-2/

A service to celebrate the life of Mary Joan Kasprzyk Tokarski will be held on Monday, March 2, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Aldersgate Methodist Church. The family will receive friends beginning at 11 a.m., two hours prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be sent to The Mary and Frank Tokarski Musical Arts Fund, a foundation very near and dear to Mary’s heart.
https://www.cfgnh.org/articles/mary-frank-tokarski-musical-arts-fund