Mary Alice Mahon

Mary Alice Mahon, 92, a resident of West Hartford, CT for over 60 years, passed on Wednesday December 6, 2023. She was born 1931 in Boston, MA, the daughter of John Leo Shea and Alice Marie Shea (Connelly), and raised in part by her stepmom Rita and her Aunt Florence, as her beloved mother died at age 34 giving birth to her. At age 14 Mary was sent to live with her relatives Aunt Florence and Uncle Bob Gundersen, where she formed a close big-sisterly bond with their sons Robert and Richard. Many years later, at the time of her wedding, Mary asked her Uncle Bob to give her away. Mary had one sibling that she cherished, John Leo Shea, Jr  Jack  who died at age 27 from a heart attack, having had rheumatic fever as a child. He honorably served in the US Air Force and died in Japan. Mary’s daughter Jacquie is named after him. Mary was a force of nature who persevered despite many setbacks, and was well known for her vivacious, energetic, and engaging manner. With her husband, Thomas D. Mahon, Sr, she raised four children. She kept a meticulously clean and gleaming home, well decorated for every holiday. As soon as she could, Mary returned to the work world and was employed full-time for many decades while caring for children and a household. She was beloved at the University of Hartford’s HARTT School of Music, where she was a secretary and administrator for 20 years. She loved helping the students. When she left, three festive retirement parties were thrown in her honor! Mary’s husband passed in 2002, and after her sorrow ebbed and she learned to live alone, Mary relished years of exuberant travel, lunches, and cultural events with “my friend Muriel.” She had also traveled to Ireland, Germany, France, numerous trips to Cape Cod and the Rhode Island shore, and many US National Parks with her husband. Mary loved West Hartford, especially walking in Elizabeth Park and at the reservoirs. She was an active member of the West Hartford Senior Center and of St Thomas the Apostle Church’s Mother’s Circle, of which she was twice leader. Mary was the absolute best of grandmas, showering her grandchildren with love, time, and gifts. For many years she purchased a membership at Winding Trails in Farmington, CT, to bring her grandkids there for picnics and swimming. These and countless adventures with her grandchildren are treasured memories. She loved her sons with a deep and abiding passion and would do anything for them. Mary and her daughter shared many long laughs about life and amused each other tremendously. Mary was very close to her daughter-in-law Ann; they connected on many levels and loved each other unreservedly. Feisty right up until dementia stole her away, Mary announced in 2016: “If anyone is waiting for an 85-year-old to cook them a meal, they’re going to be waiting a long time.” She also confided to her daughter with her typical mischievous smile, “People seem to think I’m elderly.” We will miss her yellow post-it notes all over the kitchen cupboards covered with stenographic shorthand no one could read! Mary leaves behind: Thomas Daniel Mahon, Jr (West Hartford, CT), Jacqueline Mary Mahon (Philadelphia, PA), Brian Christopher Mahon and his wife Rebecca (Colchester, CT), and Michael Francis Mahon and his wife Ann (West Hartford, CT) and their children Conor (Brooklyn, NY), Sarah (Boston, MA) and Patrick (West Hartford, CT). A word of deep gratitude to her caregivers especially Sharon (Hyacinth) Murray Rodney, and those at both Hughes Health and West Hartford Health and Rehabilitation. Funeral Services will be private. “Things have a beginning and they also have an end.” ~ Mary Alice Mahon, 2016