MARY FRANCES (FRANKLAND) BARRETT BURLINGTON - Mary Barrett, 90, passed peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, to join the Lord. Mary was born on June 13, 1919, the ninth of twelve children, to Edward and Margaret (Hart) Frankland, in West Hartlepool, England. Shortly after her birth, the Frankland family immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, eventually settling in Windsor, Vt. Mary graduated from Windsor High School in 1938. She married Francis S. Barrett and they subsequently made a home in Burlington. Throughout life, Mary had a rich and diverse set of life experiences including contributing to the World War II efforts on aircraft production lines – as a so-called "Rosie the Riveter," serving as a buyer for The JC Penney Company and Magram's The Fashion Shop, and eventually moving to New York City where she worked for more than a decade at the Lenox Hill Hospital, culminating with the position of Supervisor of Medical Correspondence. She returned to Burlington in 1984 to pursue a number of causes in an active retirement including many charitable and churchbased efforts. While her life and experiences were wideranging, her absolute faith in God was constant. Mary took great joy in, and was deeply dedicated to the Catholic Church, participating in services and volunteering in the church communities everywhere she lived. She had a special love for the people of the Parish of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington. She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her 11 brothers and sisters, Anne, Edward, Arthur, Katie, William, Maggie, Jane, Isabelle, Catherine, John, and Margaret. She is survived by her daughter Patricia (Barrett) Erdman of New York City; grandson Christopher and wife Elizabeth of Brookline, Mass.; granddaughter Melissa Erdman Holson and husband Ethan Holson of Seattle, Wash.; and beloved great-grandchildren, Orla, Owen, Connor, Violet and Ivy. Mary is also survived by a close family of friends in Burlington who provided her with continuous kindness, companionship and motivation, including Mary and Jim McMaster and her family, Carol and John Mazuzan and their daughter Kiersten and her family. The family would like to give special thanks to the staff members at Birchwood Rehabilitation Center and Fletcher Allen Health Care for their care and compassion in recent weeks. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 20 Pine St., Burlington, Vt., with a reception to follow at the Cathedral. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Paget Foundation, 120 Wall Street, Suite 1602, New York, NY 10005-4001. Arrangements are by Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Directors.