Obituary of Mary Margaret Mercer

Mary Margaret Mercer, a retired nurse passed away after a short illness on Friday afternoon, November 7, 2014. She was 84 years old. Mary was born in Cambridge, the daughter of the late Jeremiah and Marjorie Pergamo. She grew up in Cambridge and was a graduate of Cambridge High and Latin, AND went onto the Cambridge City Hospital School of Nursing. After graduation, Mary worked at the Cambridge City Hospital and The Winchester Hospital as an RN. From there, she worked for 20 years in the Burlington Public Health Department as a visiting nurse, followed by a few years at the Burlington High School. She ended her nursing career working part time administering health tests for the Burlington School Department. Mary truly loved her chosen profession and considered it an honor and privilege to care for others. For Mary, the word, 'idleness'; was not part of her vocabulary. She was a bundle of energy and made the most of every minute until SHE took ill last week. She was a talented quilter and crafter. At one time, she and her husband Ken owned a small craft store at York Beach Maine called 'The Hole in the Wall'. They filled the store with Ken’s wooden crafts that Mary would paint, and her handmade quilts, country crafts, and seasonal crafts. Together, they ran the store for 10 years. In the winter months they would sell at craft fairs before escaping the New England winters with travel to their home in Deltona Florida and later New Symrna Beach Florida. She still was still selling her crafts in a consignment store in Wells, Maine. Years ago, after buying a home in York Beach Maine, to keep busy, Mary worked part time at Ro'S T-Shirt Store and waitressed the breakfast shift at MIMMO'S Restaurant. Family and friends were the most important part of Mary's life. Mary and her husband Ken were more than husband and wife, they were a team, sharing interests and values and supporting others in their careers and outside activities. They were married in 1952, and they lovingly stood by and cared for each other until Ken's passing in 2007. She was a strong role model and A loving mother to her five Children. She gave them a warm and loving home filled with laughter and love. Her family has so many wonderful memories including Mary playing the piano and Organ and singing holiday songs, Summer vacations at Lakehurst in Milton NH with family and friends, the family Michigan Rummy and Gin Rummy Card games played around the kitchen table, the barbeques, and the summers spent in York Beach Maine at the family House on Long Sands Beach. She was also blessed to have had such a strong and loving bond with all her grandchildren. Mary also had many interests outside of work and family. She had a strong Catholic Faith and was a member of St. Margaret's parish for over 60 years. She bowled on a number of bowling teams and played women's adult softball well into to her thirties. She was an avid fan of The Notre Dame Football Team and all of the Boston professional sports teams. She enjoyed time shared with neighbors and friends and she loved her cats, Rosie and Nosey. She also loved the ocean and sitting on her front porch At York Beach light looking across the water at the Nubble Light lighthouse as her day would come to the end. Mary was the loving wife of the late Kenneth H. Mercer, Jr. She was the loving mother of Patricia Buchanan of West Townsend, Kenneth & his wife Joyce of Tewksbury, Robert of Manchester, NH, Donald of Nashua, NH, and David & his wife Jennifer of Nashua, NH. She was the sister of Daniel Pergamo of Belmont, the late Barbara Francis, Joseph and John Pergamo. Mary was also survived by 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret's Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mary's name may be made to the American Lung Association, 460 Totten Pond Rd, Waltham, MA 02451 or www.lungne.org. MARY M. (PERGAMO) MERCER. August 17, 1930 ~ November 7, 2014 . Good morning and thank you for sharing this day with us. Seven years ago, I stood in this very same spot and talked about my dad when he passed. Today, I have the honor and the privilege to do the same for our mother. Mom was a very special person who brought happiness and joy to many. She was an endearing mother to Patricia, Kenny, Donald, David and me. . She was a wonderful grandmother to Allison and Melissa, Mary, Kenny Jr and Emily, Benjamin and Adam, and Danny. And, a great grandmother to Shayne and Connor. . And through wonderful additions to our lives, we have been blessed to add Joyce, and Jennifer, LaDelle and Rob. This added two more special grandchildren with Chelsea and Emilee. . And I would be remiss if I didn’t include her two sidekicks, that being her kittys—rosie and nosey. They helped her thru her loneliness and provided warmth and tender loving…”her two little babies” she would say, and who often traveled with her to her summer house in Maine. . So, who was Mary Margaret Pergamo Mercer? . Well, she was a devoted wife who cherished her life with our dad. We sometimes thought of them as the Ralph and Alice or Archie and Edith or Frank and Marie of television life. They had their moments, but they had their friendship and they had their love for one another. . During my father’s illness, he spent the last two years of his life at Sunrise, living in the ward for Alzheimer/dementia patients. And every day, mom made sure she was there to feed him supper and to keep him company. As you know, mom was a mere 5.5 and dad was a towering 6.3 man. Yet every night, after dinner, he would take her by the hand and walk, no drag, her thru the hallways and talk his talk. And, while she suffered thru chronic back and leg pain, she never missed a step. . She was the typical mom, a sharp wit, a swift hand when needed, but without a doubt, a loving and caring mom. A wonderful daughter, a caring sister to Danny, Johnny, Barbara & Joe, a caring and compassionate nurse, and a friend to all. She loved her afternoon quilting classes, and lunches with her dear friends Betty, and Marge and Pauline, Gloria & Al, her cousins Eileen and Fr Ritchie, and so many more. . She loved her sports, and we enjoyed many family football parties. She was an avid fan as well as a sharp critic. She boasted she could throw a football better than Tom Brady when we was having a bad game, or catch a ball better than Gronkowski…well…maybe not Gronkowski, but Amodella for sure… and for those who might remember the 67 Red Sox, how she ragged on Carl Yastremski for always stepping out of the batters box to hitch up his pants and fix his helmet. And, how she loved those Celtics…and how Rajon Rhonda, a not so old Celtic, was the best Celtic ever! . And every Saturday, she had to watch the Notre Dame football game because that’s what my father used to do…somehow, she must have felt he was there watching the game with her! . Mom did everything…from waterskiing during summer vacations at Lakehurst to deep sea fishing. And, it always seemed that she was the first to catch a fish and win the contest for catching the biggest fish. We started to think she brought the fish on-board with her in her purse. . And the family card games were filled with jokes and laughter and little family quips and quibbles. While the games were never big money games, she often won the big pots and would easily dismiss the stray card lying on the floor under her seat. Rummy games were intense, especially when she would pick up a big sleeve of cards and manage to score big before somebody went out. . Mom loved to sew, and knit and crochet and we have memories of her and dad making their crafts to sell in their little store at the beach. She was a talented woman who seemingly could not sit still and just be idle. Bowling, softball and reupholstering chairs were favorite past times in her early years and she had the trophies to show it! . But towards the end, mom had to slow it down a bit. Multiple back surgeries and related complications took its toll. She loved going to the beach house and everyone was made to feel welcome. Many a weekend was filled with BBQs and trips to the lighthouse and to the Goldenrod for Taffy and to Browns for butter pecan ice cream. It was there she became fond of a white Russian or a bottle or two of a cold Mikes Lemonade on a hot summers day. . During the last few days of her life, we as a family came together and visited with her every day. After her seizure, she never regained consciousness. For the five days that she was hospitalized, we would visit and encourage her to wake up. We tried everything….from confessing our past unspoken misdeeds, speaking of previously unknown tattoos and to talk of future trips. . For those who don’t know, she despised the color yellow. We tried telling her that we had the house painted yellow, and that we had a yellow PT Cruiser waiting to take her home. She thought those cars were stupid and honestly, mom was not one to hold back her thoughts. . As a last resort, we even called her cousin in Ireland and put the phone to mom’s ear in hopes that a true Irish blessing would make her stir. . But, to no avail. . Sadly, we realized that her time had come, and we would have to let her go. The only easy part of this was we knew she would once again be with the man she so loved, and missed every day of her life. . We were grateful to have these last few days with her, and thank Adam, her grandson, for his valiant efforts to help her when the incident occurred. He was with her and called for emergency help which helped to prolong her life. And while she never woke, we all felt that somehow she knew we were there by her side. Being together as a family, gave us strength, but it also made us aware of just how lucky we were to have her as our mom. . She was without a doubt the best and a best friend to all of us. . Finally, a very special thanks to the medical team at the ICU at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington. We were blessed to have Dr Gray and a great team of nurses to tend to our mother. Their compassion and kindness helped to ease our pain and sorrow, and give us guidance with a difficult decision. And to Dr Frye and his staff, they kept her well for as long as they could. . And, we thank all of you for being a part of our mother’s life. . Your love, and caring and friendship added so much joy and happiness to her life. . She enjoyed every minute and aspect of her life. . God Bless you. . And, finally, to you mom…. We love you and will miss you dearly, and we know and believe that you are now with dad once again, and in god’s hands. . Thank you.