WORCESTER__Mary Elizabeth (Ash) Giammalvo, 75, died on Friday, June 19th, at Notre Dame Long Term Care Center in Worcester after a period of declining health.
Mary was born in Worcester on August 21, 1950, to Joseph Thomas and Elizabeth Ann (Degnan) Ash, the third of seven children. At a young age, she and her close-knit family moved from the Southwest Cutoff to a home her father was building in the Burncoat neighborhood.
She was the first of four sisters to graduate from Marian High School and the first of three to graduate from Worcester State College, her mother’s alma mater. She subsequently followed her mother into the education field, teaching kindergarten for many years in Winchendon, where she was affectionately known to both students and parents alike as “Mrs. G”.
During those years, she lived in Westminster and Fitchburg, but later returned to Worcester to live at Notre Dame du Lac Assisted Living because of deteriorating health. For the past two years, she was cared for by skilled and compassionate caregivers at Notre Dame Long Term Care, where a core group of family and close friends visited her on a daily basis.
Mary’s radiant personality spread well beyond her kindergarten classroom. She loved helping to organize family celebrations and was known for having inherited her mother’s talent for baking. Like her father and most of her siblings, she was a gifted athlete and enjoyed playing softball into her later years.
Mary is survived by her son, Daniel A Giammalvo of Asheville, North Carolina, and her six siblings and their spouses, Joseph T. and Jean F. Ash of Somerville; Thomas Patrick Ash of Cambridge; Ann M (Ash) Zelesky of Worcester; Kevin T. and Kathleen M. (Ash) Campbell of Shrewsbury; James M. and Linda M. Ash of Northboro; and Ellen M. (Ash) Berrings of Waterbury, Vermont. In addition, she leaves behind many nieces, nephews; many cousins including two especially close cousins, Maureen Coghlin and Ann Ratte; and a special childhood friend, Rosemary DiPierro.
Mary’s family wishes to express deep gratitude to the staff and volunteers at the Notre Dame Long Term Care Center who cared for Mary with tremendous dedication and warmth during her final years.
The family will be greeting relatives and friends at St. Mary’s Church, 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury, from 10:00 to 11:15 AM, on Wednesday July 1st, with a Mass of Christian Burial to begin at 11:30 AM. Burial will follow immediately thereafter at St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester. Dirsa-Morin Memorial Chapel [www.MarchandMemorialHomes.com] is assisting the family with arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mary’s memory can be made to Notre Dame Health Care, 555-559 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605.