Mary Jean Minahan

Mary Jean Minahan, known simply as Jean to the many who loved her, passed away on Thursday, April 6, in Providence, Rhode Island. She was 97. Born on July 2, 1925 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Jean was the daughter of John Gaffney, a well respected lawyer and judge, and his wife Molly, a beloved teacher. Jean deeply cherished her memories of growing up in Waterbury’s close-knit Irish community and of attending Waterbury Catholic High School. She graduated as an English major from Mount Saint Vincent College (now University) in Riverdale, New York in 1946, and went on to become a teacher on both the elementary and high school level. Marrying the love of her life, Daniel Minahan of East Orange, New Jersey, in 1953, she continued teaching and tutoring while also devoting herself with all her heart to being a mother, wife, and homemaker. Jean and Daniel lived in several places in Connecticut and California, ultimately settling in Southport, Connecticut, which they made their home for nearly five decades. Anyone who knew Jean would always remember three things about her: her heartfelt Catholic faith, which lifted her higher in times of joy and sustained her in times of trouble; her dazzling talent as a pianist, especially evident when playing the works of her beloved Chopin; and her remarkable ability to make anyone, whether a friend of many years or a stranger she had just met, feel known and welcome in her presence. Jean was also an accomplished poet and essayist whose work appeared in the New York Times and other publications. When her children were of college age, she resumed her own education, earning both a master’s degree in American Studies and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Religion from Fairfield University. Jean also spent countless hours volunteering for charitable causes and community service endeavors. In recent years, she and Daniel moved to Rhode Island to be closer to family, and she lived her final days with her palpable joy in the company of friends and relatives undiminished. Jean was predeceased by her brother John Gaffney, and by her son Daniel Minahan and his wife Martha. She is survived by her beloved husband of almost 70 years, Daniel; by their son John and his wife Carol; by her brother Joseph Gaffney; by four grandchildren, Danny Minahan and his wife Debra, Katherine Chatt and her husband Allen, Sean Minahan and his wife Elizabeth, and Brendan Minahan; and by two great grandchildren, John and Emily. Funeral arrangements will be private.