Maureen's Funeral

Today was Maureen's funeral.  It was a beautiful service.  Our pastor, Fr. Deeley presided, with Maureen's two uncles, Frs. Mike and Dan Crosby, and Fr. Chris Ohazulume from BIDMC concelebrating. Also, Deanna Bosco and Mia Gage - friends of Emma's - leant us their beautiful voices as cantors.

I want to thank all of our family, friends, neighbors and the Saint Michael community for the support and generosity in helping put this together.  It was a beautiful send off for a beautiful person that touched our lives in so many ways.  The Hollands were incredibly generous in providing food from their restaurant, Stacheys both Sunday afternoon and  for the reception today.  My sister Lorie acted as my "Chief of Staff" helping coordinate the various support activities from the army of people that were at my disposal.

A number of people asked for a copy of the Remembrance that I gave.  It follows below:

I met Maureen in March of 1991.  She was beautiful, smart, and so incredibly funny.   She had an amazing and infectious spirit for life.  We instantly spent all of our time together.  At first, my single friends wondered if they had lost me to her, but they soon realized that they had gained a fantastic friend.

Maureen had a gift for making life fun.  She loved people and loved to make them laugh . . . almost as much as she loved to make herself laugh.

Elvis Presley once sang of love, that only fools jump in.  But, as the lyrics of that song continue, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. 

That summer, returning with her to Massachusetts after visiting my parents, I told her that I loved her.

I still remember that awkward moment because - believe it or not - it was a few weeks before she reciprocated!

We were engaged in January 1992 and married on the Fourth of July 1992, only about 15 months after we met.

I wish that I could spare you the joke about losing my independence on Independence Day, but I just can’t pass that up.

Shortly after we moved to North Andover in 1996 Joseph was born.  We were blessed in so many ways – wonderful neighbors and friends, and this wonderful Saint Michael community.  My family adored Maureen and Maureen’s family welcomed me as a son and brother. 

On September 26, 2001, Maureen received what she always called her greatest birthday present, our beautiful daughter Emma.  We now had two incredible gifts from God.

As a mother, Maureen was more than loving.  She adored our children and engendered in them her love of life and her sense of family and community.

On December 16, 2014 I was on my way to take a train to New York.  As I parked my car in the route 128 train station parking lot, my client called me and asked if I had boarded the train. At that moment I didn’t realize how lucky it was that the call wasn’t a few minutes later.  My client had only learned a few minutes prior that the meeting in New York was cancelled.   On my way home I received a call from Maureen.  She needed to see a doctor and possibly head directly from his office to the hospital.

We were informed by the staff at the hospital that Maureen had an aggressive form of leukemia and might not make it through the night.  But Maureen’s will to live was simply too great.  For almost two years Maureen defied the odds, and she did it with dignity, grace and her wonderful sense of humor – the same qualities that caused me to fall in love with her back in 1991.

It was during these two years that she exhibited her courage as she battled for her life.  More courage than I ever imagined any person could muster.

 She never let others know her fears, and despite her grave situation, she would joke with the doctors, nurses and the aides, treating everyone with kindness and respect.  The staff at Beth Israel came to love her, and she them.

Despite her battle with leukemia, Maureen was determined to be present at many of our children’s important life events – Joseph’s high school graduation, when we took him to college, Emma’s graduation from Saint Michael’s, her first day of high school, Joe’s track meets and Emma’s volley ball games. 

She volunteered to work on school activities like the Saint Michael memory book.  She simply would not allow her disease to prevent her from being a part of Joseph and Emma’s lives.

Maureen even went with Emma to a One Direction concert in Foxboro. 

And, only a week before she passed, she was present at the annual Thanksgiving gathering that we have with close friends.

Today, Maureen is with the Lord and with her beloved sister Eileen and her father Ed.  She is also with my parents who loved her as a daughter.  Her spirit has inspired everyone who is here and many others who could not be here today.  She is deeply loved and missed.