To view Livestream of the Funeral Mass for Mary Therese Connolly January 23, 2021 at 11:00am.
Mary Therese “Sis” (O'Kane) Connolly, of West Roxbury and East Falmouth, Massachusetts, and formerly of Lake Worth, Florida, joined her husband Ted, her parents William and Mary, many siblings and friends in eternal rest on Sunday, January 17, 2021. She left this world peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She was the heart of her extended family, and the center of their love. She cherished each of her three children, shared and delighted in their happiness and was so proud of their accomplishments; she adored each of her five grandchildren and helped each to grow and flourish; and in recent years, she has been blessed to see the next generation begin, and she held and hugged each of her five great grandchildren.
Mary graduated from St. Columbkille High School, Brighton, in the class of 1944. She then entered St Elizabeth’s School of Nursing, receiving her cap and pin in February 1948 and, perhaps more life changing, her engagement ring from her one and only true love, Ted. They married on June 18, 1949 and enjoyed 67 years together building their family.
Sis had two lifelong vocations: being a wife and mother, and a nurse, a Registered Nurse. Her patients praised her for both her compassion and her outstanding care. She nursed everyone, and everything, always. After dedicating more than 40 years to nursing at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, she retired; but only from the hospital, because once a nurse, always a nurse. And, really, Sis and Ted were not exactly the retiring types. Instead, they began new adventures in Florida at Kokomo Park in Lake Worth. They spent seventeen years of fun in the sun there with a wide array of friends, both old and new and, of course, family visits.
Family was always the center of Sis’ life. She was happiest when surrounded by family, especially her grandchildren, and her friends. She nurtured her grandchildren, enjoying a unique relationship with each. She was fun. She enjoyed laughing, even if she heard the story a million times. No holiday was too obscure that it was not worthy of decking out her house with decorations, serving up cupcakes and ice cream, and creating another celebration that would soon become an ensconced family tradition.
She also enjoyed her time in East Falmouth. Her only personal indulgence was to go to the beach, put her toes in the water, and munch on a fresh lobster salad roll. Each spring she planned and planted her gardens. She loved watching the flowers blossom on her watch. She insisted on feeding the birds even when it was really the squirrels who were the beneficiaries. Always an avid reader, she closely followed current events.
Mary leaves her son, the Honorable Gerald “Gerry” E. Connolly and his wife Catherine of Fairfax, Virginia, her son Philip J. Connolly of Marshfield and her daughter, the Honorable Rosemary Connolly of West Roxbury; her five grandchildren, Kerri A. Connolly, Warrant Officer Kevin W. Connolly and his wife Jennifer, Patrick M. Connolly and his wife Maryann, Meaghan E. Sullivan and her husband Joseph, and Caitlin R. Connolly; and five great grandchildren, James Patrick Connolly, Whitney Noelle Connolly, Payton Linda Connolly, Adeline Ellie Sullivan and Christian Edward Connolly. She also leaves her loving sister Bernadette of Southampton, N.Y., her sister- in-law Jane M. and her husband Norman Burgess of Derry, N.H., and many loving nieces and nephews. Her brothers, William, Francis and Walter, predeceased her, as have many other beloved family members and friends.
Visitation will be held in the Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, West Roxbury on Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 9:00AM – 10:30AM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Theresa of Avila Church at 11 o'clock. (Please follow COVID-19 guidelines in the funeral home and church with facial coverings and social distancing maintained, please limit time in the funeral home, capacity in the church is limited to 80.) To Live Stream the Funeral Mass please visit :https://www.sttheresaparishboston.com. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury. At the request of the church, words of remembrance may only be shared as part of the burial service at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Mary T. Connolly to the Massachusetts Nurses Scholarship Fund: Massachusetts Nurses Foundation, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021. For directions and guestbook, please visit: gormleyfuneral.com
Mary Therese “Sis” (O'Kane) Connolly, of West Roxbury and East Falmouth, Massachusetts, and formerly of Lake Worth, Florida, joined her husband Ted, her parents William and Mary, many siblings and friends in eternal rest on Sunday, January 17, 2021. She left this world peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She was the heart of her extended family, and the center of their love. She cherished each of her three children, shared and delighted in their happiness and was so proud of their accomplishments; she adored each of her five grandchildren and helped each to grow and flourish; and in recent years, she has been blessed to see the next generation begin, and she held and hugged each of her five great grandchildren.
Mary graduated from St. Columbkille High School, Brighton, in the class of 1944. She then entered St Elizabeth’s School of Nursing, receiving her cap and pin in February 1948 and, perhaps more life changing, her engagement ring from her one and only true love, Ted. They married on June 18, 1949 and enjoyed 67 years together building their family.
Sis had two lifelong vocations: being a wife and mother, and a nurse, a Registered Nurse. Her patients praised her for both her compassion and her outstanding care. She nursed everyone, and everything, always. After dedicating more than 40 years to nursing at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, she retired; but only from the hospital, because once a nurse, always a nurse. And, really, Sis and Ted were not exactly the retiring types. Instead, they began new adventures in Florida at Kokomo Park in Lake Worth. They spent seventeen years of fun in the sun there with a wide array of friends, both old and new and, of course, family visits.
Family was always the center of Sis’ life. She was happiest when surrounded by family, especially her grandchildren, and her friends. She nurtured her grandchildren, enjoying a unique relationship with each. She was fun. She enjoyed laughing, even if she heard the story a million times. No holiday was too obscure that it was not worthy of decking out her house with decorations, serving up cupcakes and ice cream, and creating another celebration that would soon become an ensconced family tradition.
She also enjoyed her time in East Falmouth. Her only personal indulgence was to go to the beach, put her toes in the water, and munch on a fresh lobster salad roll. Each spring she planned and planted her gardens. She loved watching the flowers blossom on her watch. She insisted on feeding the birds even when it was really the squirrels who were the beneficiaries. Always an avid reader, she closely followed current events.
Mary leaves her son, the Honorable Gerald “Gerry” E. Connolly and his wife Catherine of Fairfax, Virginia, her son Philip J. Connolly of Marshfield and her daughter, the Honorable Rosemary Connolly of West Roxbury; her five grandchildren, Kerri A. Connolly, Warrant Officer Kevin W. Connolly and his wife Jennifer, Patrick M. Connolly and his wife Maryann, Meaghan E. Sullivan and her husband Joseph, and Caitlin R. Connolly; and five great grandchildren, James Patrick Connolly, Whitney Noelle Connolly, Payton Linda Connolly, Adeline Ellie Sullivan and Christian Edward Connolly. She also leaves her loving sister Bernadette of Southampton, N.Y., her sister- in-law Jane M. and her husband Norman Burgess of Derry, N.H., and many loving nieces and nephews. Her brothers, William, Francis and Walter, predeceased her, as have many other beloved family members and friends.
Visitation will be held in the Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, West Roxbury on Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 9:00AM – 10:30AM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Theresa of Avila Church at 11 o'clock. (Please follow COVID-19 guidelines in the funeral home and church with facial coverings and social distancing maintained, please limit time in the funeral home, capacity in the church is limited to 80.) To Live Stream the Funeral Mass please visit :https://www.sttheresaparishboston.com. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury. At the request of the church, words of remembrance may only be shared as part of the burial service at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Mary T. Connolly to the Massachusetts Nurses Scholarship Fund: Massachusetts Nurses Foundation, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021. For directions and guestbook, please visit: gormleyfuneral.com
 |  |  |  |
