94-year-old organ player is a key part of Catholic Church in Grand Forks
Mary Anne Tupa has played at Sunday Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks for nearly 60 years. 11:00 am, May 5, 2021 ×
Mary Anne Tupa, 94, takes a break from the piano at her home Tuesday, May 3, 2021. Tupa has been the organist at Holy Family Catholic Church since 1962. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
GRAND FORKS Mary Anne Tupa has rarely skipped a beat in six decades of playing piano and organ during Sunday Mass at Grand Forks Holy Family Catholic Church.
The only time Tupa, 94, has taken a break from playing was when she retired from the music ministry in the winter of 1988 so she could travel with her husband. A few months without accompanying the cantor and congregation on the organ or piano was enough for her, and she was back on the bench by summer.