On her 91st birthday, this amazing woman passed away peacefully after a long battle with dementia, her youngest daughter, Joanne, by her side. Mary was born and raised in Jamaica Plain (Boston), MA. At the age of 25 she married and started a family. In 1970, Mary and her husband relocated to Mt. Lebanon where she proudly raised her nine children with boundless energy and little sleep. Mary's devotion was to her family. She was loyal, humble, sweet in nature, and witty as heck. Her generosity was endless. She welcomed all into her home with a warm embrace, a hot cup of tea, and a gentle smile. She enjoyed crocheting, bowling, dancing, bingo, playing penny slots, shopping, and caring for others. But, what Mary most enjoyed were the holidays, her favorite being Christmas Eve. Her door was always open, but on Christmas Eve her home became filled with family, friends, food, laughter, and an abundance of love. She made sure she hung up a stocking, for every family member, no matter how long it had been since she had seen or heard from them. She would actually have 75 stockings hanging from her mantle.
She accepted everyone with open arms. She would feed you and give you shelter without hesitation. It didn't matter how well she knew you, what you did, or how many times you came back to her needing a place to stay. She would give you her last dime, or the coat off her back, and asked for nothing in return. One of her favorite roles in life was being a Nana to her many grandchildren. She enjoyed having a houseful of children. A visit to Nana's was always filled with hugs, fun, sweets, pizza, and at the end of the day, a trip to the ice cream store. The Only thing that mattered to her was family.
She will be greatly missed by daughters, Joanne Bellia (Mark), Karen MacBeth (Mike), Patricia Meehan (Tracey), Donna Meehan, and Maryanne Bergin (Ralph). And four sons, Robert (Donna), Dennis (Diane), Richard (Carol), and Brian; her grandchildren, most present in her life Jillian (Todd), Jaclyn (Nick), Jenna (Chas), Juliet (Sasha), Justine (Anthony), Alyssa, Alicia, Kyle. And Bobby (Val), Joe (Lauren), Michael (Kate), Jesse, Chad (Brian), and Erin; her great
grandchildren, Ashley, Max, Olivia, Nolan, Blakely, Cooper, Camryn, Jessica, Peyton, Oliver, Niko, Josie, Ellie, Riley, Bristol, Kayleigh, Connor, Jayden, Jacob, Jordan, Richard, and Devin; her great-great grandchildren, Dylan, Lucas, and Rana. She will also be missed by all her nieces and nephews in Boston. Preceded in death by her parents Paul and Mary Bergquist, brothers Arthur (Theresa) and Roy, along with sister-in-law and best friend, Catherine Bergquist.
On behalf of Mary, her daughters would like to thank the many devoted caregivers at Asbury Heights in Mt. Lebanon, for the love, friendship, care, and compassion during her final months.
Our mother was the strongest, kindest, and most caring woman you could ever meet. She was always there for everyone and loved with all she had in her. To know her was to love her. It was that easy. This world, our world, will never be the same.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Light of Life Mission, Food Bank, or the Alzheimer's Association. Visitation: Sunday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. and Monday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m.; William Slater II Funeral Services 1650 Greentree Rd., Scott Township 15220. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic certain restrictions may apply and we encourage social distancing and the wearing of facial masks. Funeral service to be held at Mt. Lebanon Lutheran Church on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.