Obituary from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Mullaney,
Mary A. “Pink”
If you’re
about to throw away an old pair of pantyhose, stop.
Consider:
Mary Agnes Mullaney (you probably knew her as “Pink”) who entered eternal life
on Sunday, September 1, 2013. Her spirit is carried on by her six children, 17
grandchildren, three surviving siblings in New “Joisey”, and an extended family
of relations and friends from every walk of life.
We were
blessed to learn many valuable lessons from Pink during her 85 years, among
them: Never throw away old pantyhose. Use the old ones to tie gutters, child-proof
cabinets, tie toilet flappers, or hang Christmas ornaments. Also: If a possum
takes up residence in your shed, grab a barbecue brush to coax him out. If he
doesn’t leave, brush him for twenty minutes and let him stay. Let a dog (or two
or three) share your bed. Say the rosary while you walk them. Go to church with
a chicken sandwich in your purse. Cry at the consecration, every time. Give the
chicken sandwich to your homeless friend after mass. Go to a nursing home and
kiss everyone. When you learn someone’s name, share their patron saint’s story,
and their feast day, so they can celebrate. Invite new friends to Thanksgiving
dinner. If they are from another country and you have trouble understanding
them, learn to “listen with an accent.”
Never say
mean things about anybody; they are “poor souls to pray for.” Put picky-eating
children in the box at the bottom of the laundry chute, tell them they are
hungry lions in a cage, and feed them veggies through the slats. Correspond
with the imprisoned and have lunch with the cognitively challenged. Do the
Jumble every morning. Keep the car keys under the front seat so they don’t get
lost. Make the car dance by lightly tapping the brakes to the beat of songs on
the radio. Offer rides to people carrying a big load or caught in the rain or
summer heat. Believe the hitchhiker you pick up who says he is a landscaper and
his name is “Peat Moss.” Help anyone struggling to get their kids into a car or
shopping cart or across a parking lot. Give to every charity that asks. Choose
to believe the best about what they do with your money, no matter what your
children say they discovered online. Allow the homeless to keep warm in your
car while you are at Mass. Take magazines you’ve already read to your doctors’
office for others to enjoy. Do not tear off the mailing label, “Because if
someone wants to contact me, that would be nice.”
In her
lifetime, Pink made contact time after time. Those who’ve taken her lessons to
heart will continue to ensure that a cold drink will be left for the overheated
garbage collector and mail carrier, every baby will be kissed, every nursing
home resident will be visited, the hungry will have a sandwich, the guest will
have a warm bed and soft nightlight, and the encroaching possum will know the
soothing sensation of a barbecue brush upon its back. Above all, Pink wrote –
to everyone, about everything. You may read this and recall a letter from her
that touched your heart, tickled your funny bone, or maybe made you say “huh?”
She is
survived by her children and grandchildren whose photos she would share with
prospective friends in the checkout line: Tim (wife Janice, children Timmy,
Joey, T.J., Miki and Danny); Kevin (wife Kathy, children Kacey, Ryan, Jordan
and Kevin); Jerry (wife Gita, children Nisha and Cathan); MaryAnne; Peter (wife
Maria Jose, children Rodrigo and Paulo); and Meg (husband David Vartanian,
children Peter, Lily, Jerry and Blase); siblings Anne, Helen, and Robert; and
many in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends and family too numerous to list but not
forgotten.
Pink is
reunited with her husband and favorite dance and political debate partner, Dr.
Gerald L. Mullaney, and is predeceased by six siblings. Friends (and strangers
she would love to have met) can visit with Pink’s family at the Feerick Funeral
Home on Thursday, September 5, from 3 until 7 PM with prayer service at 6:45
PM. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Monica’s Catholic
Church in Whitefish Bay on Friday, September 6, at 3 PM. Dress comfortably with
a splash of pink if you have it. In Pink’s memory donations may be made to
Dominican High School, 120 E. Silver Spring Dr., Whitefish Bay, WI 53217, or
Saint Monica Parish, 160 E. Silver Spring Dr., Whitefish Bay, WI 53217, or any
charity that seeks to spread the Good News of Pink’s friend, Jesus.
Valet
Parking in front of the funeral home on Thursday.
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