Published in the April 14, 2017 edition
MELROSE — Mary L. (Harris) Healey, 86, passed away at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital on Wednesday, April 5.
Mary was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, on May 11, 1930 to the late Alfred and Nora (Phillips) Harris, was raised in Mt. Clemens and graduated from Mt. Clemens High School.
Mrs. Healey met her husband Robert while he was in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Michigan. They married, had six children, some in Michigan and some in Melrose, and they moved to Melrose permanently in 1958.
She worked as a medical secretary at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital on Medical 3 and Cummings 5 for over 35 years. Mary was a very outgoing and friendly person who loved people and people loved her too.
She and her husband Robert loved to go to New Hampshire camping in the White Mountains and Ossippee, NH and taking trips back to visit family in Michigan.
After the death of her husband in 1996 Mrs. Healey never stopped traveling. She would take trips to Disney World, Foxwoods and loved to walk all over Boston and Harvard Square in Cambridge. She was a member of the 200 Club in Melrose, volunteered at the Levi Gould Retirement Home in Melrose where she lived, enjoyed going to lunch and playing bingo at the Milano Center in Melrose and loved doing puzzles and was an expert at it.
Mary was the beloved wife of the late Robert E. Healey. She was the loving mother of Laura Preston and her husband Wayne of Lynn, Susan Nickerson and her husband Gary of Woburn, Joan Cavalieri and her husband Ross of Raynham, Robert Healey Jr. and his wife Beth-Ellen of Milford, Steven Healey and his wife Joanne of Burlington and Tim Healey and his wife Cheryl of Wilmington. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, many loving nieces and nephews in Michigan and wonderful friends in Melrose.
Visitation was held at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster St., Melrose, on Tuesday, April 11, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral was from the Gately Funeral Home on Wednesday, April 12, at 9 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Church, Herbert Street, Melrose at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s name to the American Diabetes Association, 260 Cochituate Rd., #200, Framingham, MA 01701. To send a message of condolence please visit www.gatelyfh.com
