Mary Elizabeth Keefe

Mary burst into the world in a hospital elevator on April 5, 1951, the first of many surprises she had for her mother, who always said she was her most spirited child. She was raised on Delmar Avenue in Framingham, MA, running free on the shores of Lake Cochituate alongside her six siblings, cousins, and a close-knit crew of neighborhood kids.

Being second in a line of seven in an Irish Catholic family informed Mary’s identity. Throughout her life, she had a unique bond with each of her siblings: She turned to her older sister Cathy for her steady wisdom; felt like twins with Ricky; adored her first baby sister (or “vivi tawa”) Sarah; and bonded with Jimmy over raising their children in Maine. She and Patty reveled in shared outrageous humor, and she always treasured her real-life baby doll, Bridget.

Mary came of age during the 1960s, and loved that decade’s music and culture. She earned money scooping ice cream at Howard Johnson’s to buy groovy clothes like bell bottoms and floral skirts. But she got fired from HoJos after blowing off a shift to hitchhike to Woodstock, NY, where she had heard some people were going to play a little music. She loved the concert and the free love, but was dismayed not to find an outlet for the curlers she’d brought along.

The ‘60s also brought heartbreak. Like so many young men, Paul Cahill, her high school sweetheart, died in Vietnam. In 1969, she gave birth to a daughter, Alene, who was adopted by Gerald Smith and Brenda Wright. In 1997, Mary was lucky enough to reconnect with Alene and her parents, to whom she felt deep gratitude.

In the early 1970s, Mary flew the coop and paid for her own college, graduating from UMass-Amherst in 1975 before relocating to Maine with her first husband. That was the first of many relationships and marriages, which never stuck. Even Mary joked that she approached husbands like pocketbooks: When she tired of them, she’d just get a new one.

Mary was in love with life itself. As a marketing professional throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s in Portland, she threw herself wholly into all pursuits with vivacity. She was always popping up on the local news or the front page of the paper. You might also have spotted her in a lobster costume on a parade float, hear her name on the loudspeaker winning a raffle, or find her on the mic leading a dance-off. Mary was funny as hell, and often laughed at herself (and by herself) thanks to her playfulness, wicked wit and god-given talent for impressions and voices.

Mary brimmed with energy which she burnt off biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing and power-walking every square inch of the state of Maine. (If she asked you to join her on what seemed like a casual outdoor adventure, you would have been wise to adopt an intense training regimen in the weeks leading up.)

She was equally passionate about bringing beauty home. Whenever she moved, which she did often, she’d hang Irish lace curtains and place a vase of flowers on the kitchen sill before unpacking a single box. She cooked beautiful meals, picked breathtaking wallpaper, and made a bed that was tight as a tick. Mary was a determined and tough gardener, transforming the outdoors wherever she landed. She loved sweet peas, dahlias, pansies, and drinking peach ice tea after a long day moving dirt. What started as clippings from Mary now thrive and blossom as plants in many loved ones’ gardens across New England.

But if you asked her, Mary’s truest love was her pride and joy, her daughter Hannah Leigh, whom she welcomed in 1983. According to Mary, Hannah was the most beautiful baby, the smartest child, and the best person on planet earth. (Mary couldn’t believe her good luck that her daughter wasn’t the impish handful that her own mother had predicted for her.) She showed her own maternal love through unconditional adoration.

Mary’s final years were spent with her devoted partner (and favorite Eagle Scout) Martin Womer. The two fulfilled a shared dream of road tripping through the U.S. in their Airstream, where Mary never stopped being amazed and amused by her thorough and fastidious travel companion.

Mary is predeceased by her father, Richard F. Keefe and mother, Catherine Z. Keefe.

She is survived by her daughter Hannah Morrill (Jim Cole) and her grandchildren Eliot and Hollis of Portland, ME. She is also survived by her siblings Cathy Petrillo (Joe) of Plymouth, MA, Rick Keefe (Judy) of Dunbarton, NH, Sarah Engman (Carl) of Troutman, NC, Jim Keefe (Lisa) of Windham, ME, Patti McBride (Bill) of Ashland, MA, and Bridget Cammarata (Rich) of East Falmouth, MA, as well as countless cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Mary leaves behind many beloved colleagues, neighbors, flings, and life-long friends, including her true blue Colleen Coyne of South Portland, ME. She is lovingly remembered by Hannah’s siblings, Alene Smith Schattschneider of Powell, OH, David Morrill of Gorham, ME, and Lorra M. Brown of Chapel Hill, NC.

A celebration of life will take place later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you honor Mary’s memory by ordering a medium soft serve at Dairy Queen. A small just never does the trick.