Mary (McNamara) Grady, 92, of Charlton, and formerly a longtime Worcester resident, passed away Saturday surrounded by her loving family after a short battle with metastatic cancer.
She was born in a house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Kinnadoughy, Killadoon, Louisburgh, County Mayo, Ireland, a place so picturesque it was once featured on a popular post card. She traveled alone to the United States at age 17 where she lived for a time with her uncle Martin McNamara in Worcester before she would meet and raise a large family with her beloved husband, Martin F. Grady, who predeceased her in 2001.
Her journey to a new country was not the first daring move Mary made. At the age of 14, she left home to work in the office of a doctor in the capital of County Mayo, Ireland, only to learn shortly after she arrived that the cook for the household of 12 had left and she would be trained to take her place. She became such a fabulous cook that the doctor’s wife enlisted her brother, a monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church, to try to dissuade her from her plan to live in the United States. He conjured up frightening stories of life in America, but she was not persuaded, much to the benefit of her future family and friends.
She is survived by a son, Paul Grady and his wife Christine of Oxford; three daughters, Marie Grady of Agawam, Sheila Hass of Agawam, who was her constant companion and a trusted caregiver in the late season of her life, and Kathleen Kelleher and her husband John of Charlton, with whom she lived for the last five years of her life; eight grandchildren, Daniel Grady and his wife Justine of Charlton, Sean Grady and his wife Jessika of New Jersey, Ryan Kelleher of Charlton, Lauren Grady of Auburn, Eileen Hass of Keane, NH, Shannon Hass of Providence, RI, Victoria Kelleher of Weymouth, and Rose Grady of Southbridge; a step-granddaughter Paige (Austin) Jackson and husband Derek of Palmer; and five great grandchildren, Connor and Anna Grady of Charlton, Aiden and Eli Grady of New Jersey and Isaiah Grady Sierra of Auburn. Mary also leaves several nieces, nephews and cousins in Ireland, England and the U.S.
In addition to her husband Martin, who hailed from Cregganbaun, Louisburgh, County Mayo, Ireland, she was predeceased by two sons, Kevin Grady of Charlton and James Grady of Leicester, both of whom passed away in 2021; two daughters, Eileen Grady, who passed away at age 5 of leukemia, and Patricia Grady, who did not survive childbirth; her parents, Patrick and Mary (Keane) McNamara of County Mayo, Ireland; three brothers, John McNamara of England, Michael McNamara of County Mayo, Ireland, and Martin McNamara of England; and two sisters, Nora (McNamara) Caffrey of England and Delia McNamara of Ireland.
As a young émigré, she studied bookkeeping courses at the former Commerce High School at night while holding down a variety of jobs, including one in which she worked for the household of the Heald family, which owned a large machining business in Worcester. It was while staying with that family on Nantucket in 1950 that a photographer for Life Magazine captured her, dressed in a forest green jacket and beret, and published it in the iconic magazine as the quintessential image of a young Irish colleen. As her children grew older, she worked the night shift encoding and proofing checks at the former Guaranty Bank and Bank of New England before ultimately serving as the bookkeeper for the iconic Eddy’s Department Store on Park Avenue in Worcester.
A woman of immense strength and grace, she was descended from a grandmother on her father’s side who was a medicine woman and midwife in the Louisburgh area of County Mayo. Mary was the steady center of a boisterous household, hand crafting outfits for her young children even while grieving, along with her husband, the loss of their young daughters. While her husband regaled the family and guests with his accordion playing or hosted his siblings and friends for lively card games, she was known for serving feasts that had guests reluctant to leave.
She was a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of the Angels Church in Worcester and also worked in the after-school child-care program there in her later years, finally retiring at the age of 80. Fiercely independent, she lived in her own home on Glendale Street in Worcester for 17 years after her husband passed away, with help from her son Paul, who spent every weekend mowing her lawn in the summer and shoveling snow in winter, and frequent visits from her other children, including visits every weekend from her daughter Marie. Never one to sit idly, she enjoyed trips with her daughters and day driving trips throughout the region with a trio of retired women who, like her, had raised large families on or near the Wyola Drive neighborhood in Worcester.
At age 87, she accepted a long-term invitation from her daughter Kathleen and her husband John to live in an in-law apartment they lovingly prepared for her in their Charlton home. That meant their serene abode turned into Grand Central Station for the Grady Clan as the family’s center of gravity shifted to their house.
Kathy also helped ensure her mother’s long life by arranging the best medical care as her mother, who survived colon cancer earlier in life, encountered various health problems in her later years, including Parkinson’s disease. Although her hands trembled more and more with Parkinson’s later in life, and she endured multiple surgeries and stints in rehabilitation facilities over the previous five years, she remained the rock-solid foundation of her family until the end.
The family would like to thank Mary’s long-term primary care physician, Dr. Mark Shrank, and her current nurse practitioner, Deb Homer, for their excellent attention and care. The family also gives heartfelt thanks to Virginia “Gigi” Eriksburgh, who started off as a part-time caregiver and became a beloved friend to Mary and to the whole family, and the wonderful team at Care Central Hospice, especially Kelsey Lussier, a hospice nurse whose compassionate care helped ease her transition from this life to her eternal life.
The family also wishes to thank Rev. Charles Monroe, former pastor of Our Lady of the Angels Church, who took time from his busy pastoral duties at St. Joseph’s Church in Charlton to visit and offer her comfort in her final days.
Arrangements are being handled by Britton-Wallace Funeral Home in Auburn. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church, 10H Putnam Road, Extension, Charlton, MA on Friday, June 21st at 12 p.m., preceded by an hour visitation from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (www.stjude.org/donate).
To leave a note of condolence, share a fond memory, or to view the funeral livestream, please visit http://brittonfuneralhomes.com
Posted online on June 18, 2024
Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette
