Mary Kitzinger died on the 7th February 1985 at the age of 35. Her tragically early death cut short the career of an exceptionally gifted child psychologist who combined imagination and sensitivity with a perceptive, enquiring and cultured mind.

In her seven years at the Wolfson Centre, the Department of Developmental Paediatrics of the Institute of Child Health in London, Mary was involved partly in teaching and research and partly in the assessment  and management of children with all kinds of disabilities. She was particularly interested in the young visually impaired child and attained a deep and sensitive understanding of the difficulties faced by such children and their families. Mary was an honorary consultant to the Royal National Institute of the Blind.

Mary was particularly keen to see a rapprochement between those interested in the emotional aspects of child development and those involved in academic developmental psychology.