Mary "Maureen" Harkins

Mary Agnes "Maureen” Harkins passed away peacefully surrounded by family on August 23rd, 2025. Maureen was born on December 18th, 1932, in Brooklyn, NY to the late Martin Harkins and Agnes Griffin Harkins. Maureen tragically lost her father Martin as a young girl and her mother Agnes “Gaga” remarried John “Jack” P. Sullivan. Agnes and Jack lovingly raised Maureen and her brother Tom Harkins. Soon afterwards, Agnes and Jack added Maureen's brother John "Lefty" Sullivan and Maureen's sister Dorothy “Dolly” (Ralph) Palma to the family.

Maureen grew up in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and attended St. Michael’s grammar school and St Joesph High School. Soon after graduation, Maureen got a job as a secretary at the New York Telephone Company where she worked for several years. She loved going to work and getting all dressed up in the "fashion of the 1950’s” wearing big, beautiful hats and stylish dresses. However, more than anything Maureen loved her family with all her heart and had a very special bond with her mother Agnes, the matriarch of the family.

Maureen's true legacy was built out of a tragic life event in 1967 when her brother Tom and his wife Patricia (“Pat”) were in a fatal car accident that took Pat’s life and left Tom with serious long-term injuries. Tom and Pat had three young children at the time, Tom (6 years old), Maureen (3 years old), and John (1 year old). Maureen stepped up as a young woman in her early 30’s, telling Tom that she will move in and raise the kids for as long as it took for him to heal and maybe get remarried at some point down the road. Tom vowed never to get remarried as he loved Pat so, and Maureen, in turn, vowed never to leave him alone to raise 3 children. They both kept their vows and stayed together until Tom’s passing in 2018.

While others often talk about the sacrifice Maureen made for her brother, she never once questioned it or looked back. She loved Tom and Pat’s children as if they were her own. She made their home the center of the entire family and loved welcoming Lefty and Dolly's children John "Jack" Palma, Kerry (Brian) Meeker and Daniel Sullivan. She was not just the greatest Aunt to the Harkins and Sullivan children, she was the “Aunt Maur” to all the kids growing up on Sharon Lane and Lawrence Road in Deer Park. Everyone loved Aunt Maur!!

In the next chapter in Maureen's life, she and Tom moved to Connecticut to be close to Tom’s daughter Maureen and her husband Mike Masi and the grandchildren, Brendan Masi and Patricia (Billy) Sansone. Later they were blessed with a third grandchild, Sophia Harkins (daughter of John and Nancy Harkins). Maureen and Tom lived their lives for their kids and grandkids.

In 2017 when Tom got sick and had to be admitted to a rehab center, Maureen spent every day at his bedside until Tom's passing in November of 2018.

Aunt Maur lived out the rest of her life in the care of Tom's loving daughter Maureen and her husband Mike with constant love and support from all the kids, grandkids, cousins, aunts and uncles who brought her so much joy in life.