Mary B. Prendergast of Roslindale, MA, died peacefully, surrounded by her children, on October 1, 2025, at the age of 92. Born on May 3, 1933, she was a Brookline native and lived her entire life in both Brookline and Boston.
Mary had a strong Catholic faith and a love for America, both of which she attributed to her parents, James and Catherine Griffin, who came from Galway, Ireland. She was also very proud of her Irish heritage and enjoyed the music and culture of the "old country" throughout her life.
Mary spent many years working in dedicated service at the Boston Children’s Hospital, and after her retirement in 1998, she traveled near and far with her wonderful friends. She had many friendships that spanned her lifetime and never met a baby or a young mother she didn’t connect with. From The Irish Village and Prince Edward Island, to visiting her daughters in London, France, and The Carolinas, her grandchildren in Texas, and all the way to Ireland, Scotland, Aruba, Spain, and Hawaii, every trip came with countless precious and often recounted memories with her travel companions.
In recent years, Mary was a resident and active community member at the Longfellow House in Roslindale, where she played trivia, enjoyed sing-a-longs, and spent many happy hours visiting in the garden with her friends and family. Mary found the greatest joy in the company of her children, her grandchildren, and her dear son-in-law, all of whom gracefully cared for her during those years.
She is survived by her five children, Janet Prendergast of West Roxbury, John Prendergast of Haverhill, Nancy Prendergast of La Tremblade, France, Terry (John) Crowley of West Roxbury, and Beth Griffin of Asheville, NC, her grandchildren Aidan (Caroline) Griffin of Dover, NH, Madeline Griffin of Austin, TX, Jake Crowley of Roslindale, MaryJane (Arkady) Gobernik of Roslindale, great grandson Graham Griffin, and many loving nieces and nephews all of whom will always remember her beautiful smile, infectious laugh, her razor sharp memory, and her famous marble squares and dalmatian pudding.
Mary was predeceased by her brothers Michael, William, James, and Kevin Griffin.
Visiting Hours at the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre St. West Roxbury on Sunday, October 5th, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Funeral from the funeral home on Monday, October 6th at 9:00am followed by a Funeral Mass at St. John Chrysostom Church at 10:00 am. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery.
To Livestream of the Funeral Mass, please go to www.stjohnchrysostom02132.org www.stjohnchrysostom02132.org
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
For guestbook, please visit gormleyfuneral.com.