Mary Ferrara

Born in New York City on May 27, 1920. At two years old Mary traveled to Dunamore in Co Tyrone, Ireland with her parent, Elizabeth Ann Gillespie and Frank McElhatton and lived there with her five siblings until she was 18 yrs old. Always curios about the country of her birth, she traveled pre-WWII first to New York City later to settle in Stamford in the early 1940’s. There she met and married Joseph Ferrara of Old Greenwich who pre deceased her in 1989.

Mary spent her career in varying aspects of the retail grocery business in Stamford, Norwalk and finally Greenwich and was proud to be a member of The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). She dedicated decades to volunteer work with substance abuse outreach, St Joseph’s Hospital Women’s Auxiliary and embraced her Roman Catholic faith and service in the Rosary Society at St. John’s Catholic Church in Stamford.

Mary is survived by her children Claire, Kathleen, and Joseph and their spouses Dan, Carmyn and Nikola, her five grandchildren Daniel, Andrew and Jennifer Mocarski, Pauline Mary Lombardo and Brian Ferraro, her brothers John and Frank McElhatton in Ireland and several nieces and nephews in the US, Canada and the UK.

Family and friends may call on Friday June 3, 2011 between 4:00 and 8:00 PM at Leo P. Gallagher & Sons, 2900 Summer St., Stamford. On Saturday June 4, 2011 at 9:00 AM a Mass will be celebrated at St John’s RC Church, 279 Atlantic St., Stamford followed by interment at St. Mary’s cemetery in Greenwich, CT.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to: Hodgdon Green (assisted living for the elderly in Damariscotta) 6 Hodgdon St., PO Box 652, Damariscotta, ME 04543. Online condolences may be made at www.leopgallagherstamford.com