Obituary of Mary Driscoll

Mary nee Giblin Driscoll Mary was born to Martin Giblin and Mary Lyons on June 9, 1928 in Esker, Glenamaddy, County Galway. She was the youngest of ten children, 6 brothers (Johnny, Mick, Martin, Paddy, Jim and Tom) and 3 sisters (Nora, Kitty and Delia). She immigrated to New York in 1948 following the footsteps of her father who arrived in the US around 1905 and remained for seven years. She worked as a nanny in Lawrence and met her future husband, Sean Driscoll from Skibbereen in the Irish Riviera (Rockaway Beach). They were married in 1951 before Sean shipped off to fight in the Korean War. Her son John was born in late 1951 and when Sean returned in 1952, their second son, Kevin soon followed and was born in July 1953. They lived in a three-room apartment in Brooklyn and constantly honored the Celtic tradition of hospitality to all their fellow immigrants. Mary was famous for her hosting. Her joy in life was making sure that everyone had a good time. Mary had a terrific sense of humor and loved to go out for a night of singing and dancing. She could be constantly seen on the dance floor doing all the Irish dances and was well known for her beautiful rendition of Irish songs. She hosted many Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts and would invite not only family but also any friends who were alone on the holidays. To the delight of everyone, every feast included her delicious homemade cheesecake and huge batches of her scrumptious brownies. She returned to work while the kids were still in school, which enabled the purchase of their first home in Brooklyn. She had a tremendous work ethic and continued to work well into her 70's. Due to her loving and nurturing personality, it is no surprise that her last 20 years of work were in elder care. It is only fitting that in the end her family were the primary caregivers especially her beloved daughters-in-law, Phylis and Linda and her sister-in-law, Mae. She was a caring and loving wife, mother and friend and will be sorely missed by all. In the end her family had grown to include 5 grandchildren (Kerri, Sean, James, Brian and Danny); and 3 great grandchildren (Declan, Liam and Killian). She was the last of her siblings and is now joyfully reunited with them in heaven.»(Do not delete this line. It does not print. Text that is to appear on web must be entered before this line)