1928
Mary
2013
Mary Shaughnessy
May 9, 1928 — March 24, 2013
Hours before her death Sunday evening, Mary Shaughnessy’s friend and helper picked a fistful of bright yellow daffodils from the flower bed and brought it in to brighten her kitchen. It added a springtime feeling to the family home Mary had run since the mid-1970s, as a hub for eight children and 15 grandchildren.
Since her youth, Mary had a special feeling for spring and the blossoms it brought. In 1948, as a student at Mundelein College in Chicago, her poem about spring appeared in the school’s poetry anthology.
VALUES
Not for a snow-quit
Blooming, Pan-trod
Earth would I forfeit
Sequined winter
But for the white gold
Sunlight and pale park
Lilacs of a slight, bold
City Spring
Shortly after Mary’s death following a fall at home, Frederick was hit with a late season snow that left several inches of sequined winter on her daffodil plants.
Mary Shaughnessy was born Evelyn Loyola Culhane on May 9, 1928 the eldest of Evelyn Doherty Culhane and Martin Culhane’s four children.
She grew up in the family apartment overlooking Chicago’s Indian Boundary Park.
She attended Immaculata High School, an all-girls Catholic high school in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, where she was editor of the school newspaper and assisted with the publication of the school’s yearbook.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Mundelein, in the Rogers Park neighborhood, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1950 with a Mundelein College Gold Key award given to outstanding scholars.
After graduation, she was secretary to the President of Loyola University, the school that later took over her alma mater. Among her many duties she drafted speeches and edited the Alumna newsletter.
Sometime after graduation, Mary, who’d been called that since infancy, legally changed her name to Mary Loyola Culhane.
On June 14th, 1952 she married Edward Francis Shaughnessy, with whom she would raise a large, happy family and share a loving and unwavering friendship until his death in October of 2010. Her’s was a double wedding, with her sister Catherine marrying Robert Perry at the same ceremony.
Mary and Ed had eight children while living in Notre Dame, Ind. and Chicago.
In 1969, Ed took a job at Eastalco Aluminum company in Adamstown and brought the family to Maryland, first to the Eastview neighborhood outside Frederick then to the home on Culler Avenue in town where they spent the rest of their time together, abiding by an open kitchen door policy in which anyone was welcome to stop by for a meal, a drink or just a visit and a motto of “Love One Another”, of which some of their children, on occasion, needed gentle reminders.
Mary had no formal employment while raising her children, but she was hardly a stay at home mom as she was involved in several Frederick area charities and other activities.
She was a member of the Frederick Memorial Hospital Auxiliary from 1970 to 1991 where she had many roles including chair of the annual Snow Ball holiday fundraising dance. From 1976 to 1978 she served as President of the Auxiliary.
She was also an active member of the Monday Night book club and a regular bridge club gathering with members whom she considered lifelong friends. She served on the Homewood Family Council from 2008 until her death.
In 1980, with most of her children either in college, or graduated, she had time to work again. But a short time after working with Frederick area unemployed, she suffered her first heart attack. Less than two years later a second heart attack left with a cardiac system that her doctor called “marginal.” Her husband’s response was to start using the nickname “Marge” in reference to that diagnosis.
In spite of her health issues she took several more jobs at area retailers including the Bon-Ton and Talbots.
After Ed’s health started declining, she focused on taking care for him.
She is survived by her daughter Joan Marie Shaughnessy of Lexington, Va; her son, Edward Francis III, his wife Tricia and their daughter Mary Catherine of San Antonio, Texas; her daughter Ann Shaughnessy DuChane, husband Greg and their children Marianne and Joseph of Fredericksburg, Va; her son John Patrick and his wife Barbara of New York, NY and their sons Michael, Peter, Timothy and David; her daughter Catherine Shaughnessy Brennan, her husband John and their children Edward, Clare and Kevin of Okemos, Mich.; her son Lawrence Aloysius his wife, Linda and their children Lawrence Jr., Emily and Bridget of Germantown, Md; her son Vincent James of Baltimore and Monica Shaughnessy Henderson, her husband William and their children Anna and James of Baltimore.
Her sisters Catherine Culhane Perry of Willmette, Ill. and Dorothy Culhane Clarke of Lincolnwood, Ill still live near the family’s old Chicago neighborhood. Her brother Martin Aloysius Culhane and his wife Mary Pat Curran Culhane died some years ago, as did Mary’s brothers-in-law Robert Perry and Jack Clarke.
She leaves behind countless friends in both the Chicago area and in Frederick who brought much happiness and fulfillment to her life.
The family will receive guests from 4 to 7pm Friday at Stauffer Funeral Home at 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD.
Rev. Thomas Shaughnessy S.S.C. will conduct funeral services at 1:30pm Saturday at St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, 5843 Manor Woods Road, Buckeystown, MD.
The offer of flowers is gratefully declined. The family requests that donations be sent in her memory to C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick and to the Public Broadcasting System.
And next time you see “lilacs of a slight, bold city spring” think of Mary and know that she is once again beside her the love of her life and her best friend, Ed.
Since her youth, Mary had a special feeling for spring and the blossoms it brought. In 1948, as a student at Mundelein College in Chicago, her poem about spring appeared in the school’s poetry anthology.
VALUES
Not for a snow-quit
Blooming, Pan-trod
Earth would I forfeit
Sequined winter
But for the white gold
Sunlight and pale park
Lilacs of a slight, bold
City Spring
Shortly after Mary’s death following a fall at home, Frederick was hit with a late season snow that left several inches of sequined winter on her daffodil plants.
Mary Shaughnessy was born Evelyn Loyola Culhane on May 9, 1928 the eldest of Evelyn Doherty Culhane and Martin Culhane’s four children.
She grew up in the family apartment overlooking Chicago’s Indian Boundary Park.
She attended Immaculata High School, an all-girls Catholic high school in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, where she was editor of the school newspaper and assisted with the publication of the school’s yearbook.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Mundelein, in the Rogers Park neighborhood, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1950 with a Mundelein College Gold Key award given to outstanding scholars.
After graduation, she was secretary to the President of Loyola University, the school that later took over her alma mater. Among her many duties she drafted speeches and edited the Alumna newsletter.
Sometime after graduation, Mary, who’d been called that since infancy, legally changed her name to Mary Loyola Culhane.
On June 14th, 1952 she married Edward Francis Shaughnessy, with whom she would raise a large, happy family and share a loving and unwavering friendship until his death in October of 2010. Her’s was a double wedding, with her sister Catherine marrying Robert Perry at the same ceremony.
Mary and Ed had eight children while living in Notre Dame, Ind. and Chicago.
In 1969, Ed took a job at Eastalco Aluminum company in Adamstown and brought the family to Maryland, first to the Eastview neighborhood outside Frederick then to the home on Culler Avenue in town where they spent the rest of their time together, abiding by an open kitchen door policy in which anyone was welcome to stop by for a meal, a drink or just a visit and a motto of “Love One Another”, of which some of their children, on occasion, needed gentle reminders.
Mary had no formal employment while raising her children, but she was hardly a stay at home mom as she was involved in several Frederick area charities and other activities.
She was a member of the Frederick Memorial Hospital Auxiliary from 1970 to 1991 where she had many roles including chair of the annual Snow Ball holiday fundraising dance. From 1976 to 1978 she served as President of the Auxiliary.
She was also an active member of the Monday Night book club and a regular bridge club gathering with members whom she considered lifelong friends. She served on the Homewood Family Council from 2008 until her death.
In 1980, with most of her children either in college, or graduated, she had time to work again. But a short time after working with Frederick area unemployed, she suffered her first heart attack. Less than two years later a second heart attack left with a cardiac system that her doctor called “marginal.” Her husband’s response was to start using the nickname “Marge” in reference to that diagnosis.
In spite of her health issues she took several more jobs at area retailers including the Bon-Ton and Talbots.
After Ed’s health started declining, she focused on taking care for him.
She is survived by her daughter Joan Marie Shaughnessy of Lexington, Va; her son, Edward Francis III, his wife Tricia and their daughter Mary Catherine of San Antonio, Texas; her daughter Ann Shaughnessy DuChane, husband Greg and their children Marianne and Joseph of Fredericksburg, Va; her son John Patrick and his wife Barbara of New York, NY and their sons Michael, Peter, Timothy and David; her daughter Catherine Shaughnessy Brennan, her husband John and their children Edward, Clare and Kevin of Okemos, Mich.; her son Lawrence Aloysius his wife, Linda and their children Lawrence Jr., Emily and Bridget of Germantown, Md; her son Vincent James of Baltimore and Monica Shaughnessy Henderson, her husband William and their children Anna and James of Baltimore.
Her sisters Catherine Culhane Perry of Willmette, Ill. and Dorothy Culhane Clarke of Lincolnwood, Ill still live near the family’s old Chicago neighborhood. Her brother Martin Aloysius Culhane and his wife Mary Pat Curran Culhane died some years ago, as did Mary’s brothers-in-law Robert Perry and Jack Clarke.
She leaves behind countless friends in both the Chicago area and in Frederick who brought much happiness and fulfillment to her life.
The family will receive guests from 4 to 7pm Friday at Stauffer Funeral Home at 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD.
Rev. Thomas Shaughnessy S.S.C. will conduct funeral services at 1:30pm Saturday at St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, 5843 Manor Woods Road, Buckeystown, MD.
The offer of flowers is gratefully declined. The family requests that donations be sent in her memory to C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick and to the Public Broadcasting System.
And next time you see “lilacs of a slight, bold city spring” think of Mary and know that she is once again beside her the love of her life and her best friend, Ed.
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