Mary Reilly

Sissy, as Mary was more commonly called, was born on July 21, 1932 in Brooklyn, NY. to Frank Reilly and Mary Gillen Reilly. Her godfather was Francis John Mugavero, who later became Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn and served from 1968 to 1990.

Mary attended Wharton Memorial School in Port Jefferson, NY. She went to work with her mother at the Board of Education of New York and worked in the school kitchen for over 40 years. In 2007, she was feted with an award ceremony and breakfast for 35 years of service. In 2015, Mary moved to the Brielle, an assisted living facility on Staten Island where she spent her final years.

As a young lady, she would mind children for some of the neighbors and later would shop and run errands for her brother Frank. She took delight in the simple things in life. She would sit and watch the birds and squirrels for hours, commenting on their activity.

Sissy always loved to collect her pennies that her nephews and others would save for her. Her pocketbook would be weighed down with them. She loved her TV Guide and would circle her favorite shows every week. She loved to watch Murder She Wrote, Law and Order, golf and cooking shows. In the week before she passed away, Mary was heading down the hall in the rehab. A nurse said Mary! Mary! Where are you going and she replied, “I’m going shopping.”

She leaves four sisters, Pat Gullickson (Bob), Peggy Camoia (Frank), Kate O’Shea (Joseph) and Jo Driscoll (John), eight nieces and nephews and numerous grand nieces and nephews.