Obituary of Mary McDermott

Mafalda “Mary” McDermott, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away at the Sea Coast Nursing Facility in Gloucester after a brief illness on Monday morning, April 25, 2016. She was 91 years old. Mary was born in Boston the daughter of Italian immigrants, the late Joseph Amante and Josephine Amante. She was the youngest of 10 children and lost her mother at an early age. She grew up during the Great depression and World War II and had to face the hard challenges of growing up in this era. She was educated in Medford. She married Anthony Zermani and they raised their 2 sons in Belmont. Anthony passed away at a young age, and Mary was blessed to meet and later marry Joseph McDermott. She lived in Reading and then Woburn for the last 22 years. Because of her upbringing, Mary was extremely independent. She lived in her own home up until her illness several months ago. She had her driver’s license until the age of 90. She worked at Polaroid as a security guard for over 10 years. She and her husband, Joe, wintered in Florida and drove across the United States. She was an outgoing and giving person who enjoyed spending time with family and friends. She was always there for her children and loved being a grandmother and the blessings and joys that come with being a parent and grandparent. She was the loving wife of the late Joseph McDermott and Anthony Zermani. She was the loving mother of Anthony Zermani of Pensacola, FL, Joseph Zermani & his wife Ellen of Rockport, MaryAnn Harris & her husband Lon of Ohio, Patricia Stanhope of Cape Cod & her late husband Jerry Stanhope, and Joseph McDermott & his wife Beth of Tewksbury. Mary was predeceased by 9 siblings. She was the grandmother of 9 and great grandmother of 9. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Barbara’s Church, 138 Cambridge Road, Woburn on Monday, May 2 at 10 a.m. Followed by a burial in Forest Glen Cemetery, Reading. There will be no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mary’s name may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 101A First Ave, Waltham, MA 02451 or www.nationalmssociety.org/Chapters/MAM. For directions obituary & online guestbook see http://www.stbarbaraparish.org or www.sullivanfuneralhome.net