Mary Barrett Cleary
June 29, 1919 - April 3, 2020 Mary Barrett Cleary, 100, wife of the late T. Ward Cleary of Stamford, Connecticut died on April 3, 2020 at Edgehill Senior Living Community in Stamford where she resided for 20 years. Born on June 29, 1919 in Stamford, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late Frank P. Barrett and Frances Magee Barrett.
Mrs. Cleary graduated from the Grey Court School in Stamford and Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York. Before her marriage, she worked at Conde Nast Publishing, first in Manhattan and then in Greenwich. Except for college and some time spent in army camps in the U.S. with her husband during World War II, she lived her entire life in Stamford. Mary was a long-time congregant of St. Cecilia’s Church. She was a member of the Woodway Country Club for over 70 years. She volunteered in the library at Silver Hill Hospital where her father, husband and son Ward have successively been on the Board of Directors. A serious gardener, Mary labored over extensive gardens at her home of 50 years on Friar’s Lane. Crewel embroidery was another passion that she pursued with great artistry.
She was good-natured, good-humored and kind. Over the course of her life she made many friends whose ties she maintained. Mary found it difficult to say a bad word about anyone. Having grown up in the still bucolic enclave of High Ridge Village, with her beloved mother, sister and doting father, she made the difficult transition to life with 4 boisterous and hottempered Irishmen, her husband and 3 sons. This trial by fire gave her the strength to endure for a century.
We wish to thank Mary’s care manager and niece, Carol Cleary Cusick, and her niece, D’Arcy Devine Haskins, for her kindness and many loving visits. The Cleary family is grateful for and thank Mary’s loving aides who made her transition to the next life a happy one.
Mary is survived by her three sons and their wives: Ward and Marcia Cleary of Darien CT, Frank and Alyson Cleary of Fairfield, CT and Denis and Cindy Cleary of Highlands, NJ, as well as three grandchildren, Ceci Cleary of Los Angeles, Thomas (Mac) Cleary of Hoboken, NJ, Charlotte Cleary of Asheville, NC and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, T. Ward Cleary, her sister Elinor Devine and her daughter-in-law, Irene (Duffy) Sandlass Cleary.
An informal celebration of her life will be held in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to:
The Kelly Devine Memorial Scholarship Fund (made payable to Lovejoy & Rimer Trustee), care of Lovejoy & Rimer, 65 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT or
Silver Hill Hospital, Advancement Office. 208 Valley Road, New Canaan, CT 06840, with an “in memory of Mary B. Cleary” notation. Arrangements are under the care of Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home (203)359-9999. To send condolences to the family, please visit www. gallagherfuneralhome.com