Obituary of Mary-N. Gannon

CLINTON— Mary N. "Marie" (Gannon) Constant, 76, of 51 Mt. View Dr. succumbed in her sleep at her home on Monday, April 4, 2005 to a relentless form of cancer, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, with which she had been afflicted for the past 3 ½ years. She is survived by her husband, Raymond, with whom she would have celebrated their 54th Anniversary on April 7; three daughters and two sons-in-law, Roberta and David Earls of Lancaster, Mary E. "Betsy" Constant of Clinton, and Joyce and William Lin of Leominster; three grandchildren, Toni Earls of Lancaster and Carolyn and Daniel Long of Clinton; two brothers, John Gannon of Clinton and Robert Gannon of NC; eight nephews and one niece, among them, Martin Gannon of Lancaster and Tony and Jay Gannon of Clinton; cousins, including Pat Duffy of Clinton; great-nieces and great-nephews; countless friends from childhood and later years, among them the caring and dedicated staff at the Levine Cancer Center at UMass-Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Marie was born in Clinton on August 10, 1928, the only daughter of Anthony J. and Mary E. (Joyce) Gannon. Except for a brief time in the early 1950's, she was a lifelong and devoted Clintonian as well as a lifetime communicant of St. John the Evangelist in town, the parish her family had attended ever since their arrival from Ireland. She completed her elementary education at St. John's Grammar School in Clinton and graduated with the Clinton High School Class of 1946. While raising her family and running the household, she also held jobs outside the home at the former Eastern Isles, ITT Suprenant, Phoenix Plastics, Lee Plastics and JC Penney companies, all in Clinton, finally retiring 25 years ago to care for her aging parents. She served as a Girl Scout Leader and was a member of the St. John's Mothers' Club as well as belonging to the Clinton Women's Club, the Ladies' Auxiliary of the AOH, and the Women of Mary. She was also a former Presentation Associate. Marie enjoyed crocheting and embroidery, if the patterns weren't too fussy, ceramics, except for the eyes, stenciling, and books that made you cry a little. She adored shopping, especially for those she loved. Dancing, too, was a joy for Marie and Ray, having met at Worcester's Lakeside Ballroom and having remained one of those couples others always watch on the dance floor. Although she had no sisters, Marie was blessed with the love of a wonderful group of "girlfriends", in whose company she spent many memorable hours. The funeral will be held Wednesday, April 6, 2005 from the McNally & Watson Funeral Home, 304 Church Street, Clinton with a Mass at 10:00 AM in St. John the Evangelist Church, 80 Union Street. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Lancaster. Calling hours will be held Tuesday, April 5 from 6 - 9 PM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to St. John the Evangelist Development Fund, 149 Chestnut Street, Clinton, MA 01510 or designated for the Hematology/Oncology Unit of the Peter Levine Cancer Center in care of UMass-Memorial Foundation, 1 Lincoln Square, 15 Belmont St., Worcester, MA 01605