…formerly of Tewksbury; 84
TEWKSBURY - Mrs. Mary C. (Shea) Murphy, age 84, beloved mother of six, and a former resident of Tewksbury, and more recently the Pawtucket section of Lowell, died unexpectedly at the Lahey Medical Center in Burlington, on Wednesday, May 30th.
She was born in Medford in September, 1933, a daughter of the late James W. and Christine (Maroney) Shea. Mary received her early education in Somerville, and graduated from St. Joseph’s Girls High School in Union Square Somerville, with the Class of 1951. Mary worked at New England Telephone in Boston, and NYNEX in Lowell, Tewksbury and Salem, for a total of twenty-three years. After her first retirement, she worked at Wang Laboratories in Lowell in Software Sales, and returned to Verizon, where she retired again in 1996. She was a member of the Thomas Sherwin Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers of America, and held membership in the IBEW Local 2321. In her retirement years, she worked as a sales associate at the Bridge Street CVS in Lowell for seven additional years. She also volunteered at Lowell General Hospital’s Saints Campus.
As a resident of Tewksbury, Mary was a communicant of St. William’s Church and a former CCD teacher for the parish. As a resident of Lowell, she attended St. Rita’s Shrine, was a member of St. Rita’s Sodality, and the L.A.O. Hibernians. She had also been active at the Tewksbury Senior Center.
She leaves her children, Eleanor Lemelin and her husband Robert Jr. of Tewksbury, Robert A. Murphy and his wife Kelly (Quinn) of Chester, NH, Marianne C. Eguia of Dunstable, Denise K. Murphy of Lowell, the late Stephen W. Murphy, and Kevin P. Murphy of Tewksbury; a daughter-in-law, Paula (May) Murphy of Tewksbury; a sister, Sr. Eleanor Marie Shea, D.C. of MD; a brother, James W. Shea Jr. and his wife Margaret “Peggy” (Lynch) of PA; thirteen grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and was predeceased by her former husband Robert P. Murphy who died in 1992.
Visiting hours Tuesday morning, June 5, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in the Tewksbury Funeral Home, corner of 1 Dewey and 975 Main Sts. (Rte. 38) TEWKSBURY CENTER, Ph. (800 in MA or 978) 851 2950. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. in St. William’s Church, 1351 Main St. (Rte. 38) Tewksbury. Burial will follow in Tewksbury Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Daughters of Charity Retirement Fund, c/o DePaul Provincial House, 96 Menands Rd., Albany, NY 12204-1499 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452. Visit tewksburyfuneralhome.com