Obituary: Mary R. McEleney

The following is from Breslin Funeral Home.

Mary R. McEleney, 91, passed away on Saturday, March 8, 2014.

She was born in Charlestown on December 26th, 1922 to her parents, Agnes (Cummings) and John J. Norton. Mary was raised in Charlestown and is a graduate of St. John’s High School in Cambridge. She has been a resident of Medford for most of her life.

As a young woman, Mary was a well known athlete in Charlestown. She was a semi-pro softball player who played with many of the women who were chosen to play professional baseball during World War II. Mary was a volunteer at Malden Catholic High School for many years. She also became a Gold Star Mother when her son died in action during the Vietnam War.

First and foremost, Mary was a homemaker who enjoyed the company of her family. She is survived by her children: Mary Anne McCauley and her husband William of Everett, Ellen McEleney of Malden, Kathleen Intoppa and her husband James of Meredith, N.H., William McEleney and his wife Karen of Medford and Hugh C. McEleney and his wife Andrea of Medford; by her grandchildren: Paul, Edward, Andrew, Melissa, Jamie, Kaitlin, Kacey, Kayla, Emily and Jillian; by her great grandchildren Conor and Julian; and by her siblings: Frances Moran of Deerfield Beach, Fla., Robert Norton of Everett, Ann Tammaro of Pompano Beach, Fla., and Patrice Corcoran of Buffalo, N.Y. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Along with her parents, Mary was predeceased by her husband, Edward R. McEleney; by her son, Edward R. McEleney Jr., and by her brother, Jack Norton.

Relatives & friends are invited to attend her funeral from the Breslin Funeral Home, 610 Pleasant St., Malden, on Friday, March 14, at 8 a.m. followed by a mass of Christian burial celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church, 600 Pleasant St., Malden, at 9 a.m. Services will conclude with interment in Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford. Visiting hours will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, March 13, from 4-8 p.m.