Obituary

Mary Louise (Anderton) Callahan, age 93, a longtime resident of Brockton, went to her eternal rest on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. She was the devoted wife of the late J. Gerard Callahan, a Brockton native, who died in 1994.

Mrs. Callahan was born on June 15, 1919 and raised in Dayton, OH, the third of seven daughters, to Harry C. and Mildred (Makley) Anderton. She was a 1938 graduate of Julienne High School, a Catholic girl’s school. Without telling her parents, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in October of 1942. As a member of the 3rd Air Division of the 8th Army Air Force, she was stationed at Elveden, near Thetford, England during World War II. It was at Eleveden that she met the love of her life, “Jerry”, and they were wed October 12, 1946.

The Callahan family resided for many years in Brockton. Mrs. Callahan was a longtime communicant of Our Lady Lourdes Catholic Church and actively involved in her community. Mrs. Callahan served on the board of directors of the former Cardinal Cushing Hospital; on the Parish Council of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and was a member of the Twentieth Century Catholic Women’s Club and the Charity Guild, Inc. She was an avid golfer and was a long time member of the Thorny Lea Golf Club.

She is survived by her nine beloved children: Carol Reagan of Orlando, FL; Christine Sullivan of Tacoma, WA; James J. of Plymouth; William M. of Bridgewater; Peter of Franklin, TN; Stephen J. of Washington, DC; Louise Nichols of Littleton; Mary Jeanne Buccini of Greensboro, NC; and Constance of Atlanta, GA; 29 grandchildren; three great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by one of her six sisters, Adrienne Gegg of Tacoma, WA.

Visitation will be held on Thursday April 18 from 3:00pm to 7:00pm at the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont St. (Rte 123) Brockton. A funeral procession will gather at the funeral home Friday at 10am for a funeral mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 439 West St. Brockton, at 11am. Burial will be at a later date in Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Charity Guild, Inc., 501 Main Street, P.O. Box 2372, Brockton, MA 02305; www.thecharityguild.org, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 WWW.alz.org.