Mary A. Roth

Mary Anne (Horrigan) Roth 1929-2022

South Gardner - Mary Anne (Horrigan) Roth passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Thursday, August 11, 2022 after a brief period of declining health.  Anne, as she was known to family, was born in Gardner, Massachusetts on June 5, 1929 to William A. Horrigan and Ella A. (Griffin) Horrigan and lived most of her life in Gardner.  She was the eldest of four children and their only daughter.  Whether you knew her as Mary, Anne, Mary Anne, Mom or as her granddaughter called her “MooMoo”, Mary Anne was an exceptional woman. Mary Anne was a graduate of the former Sacred Heart School and Gardner High School, graduating with the Class of 1948.  Mary Anne was called to serve others and upon graduating, enrolled in the St. Vincent School of Nursing in Worcester, earning her diploma as a registered nurse.  She completed an additional certificate in Public Health Nursing at Simmons College in Boston. 

Early in her career, she worked at Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital and later with the Gardner Visiting Nurses Association. She married Kenneth H. Roth on February 1, 1964 and together they had three daughters, Mary Martha, Lue (Luella), and Kathleen.  While her children were young, Mary Anne left the nursing field and was a dedicated mother, school volunteer and caregiver to several elderly family members. In 1976, she returned to working for the Gardner Visiting Nurses Association. In the latter part of her career, she served as a private duty nurse for several families, as well as many elderly relatives, providing excellent care and comfort to her patients in their homes.  She and Ken enjoyed twenty-five years of marriage until his untimely death in 1989.

A devout Catholic, Mary Anne was a communicant of Annunciation Parish, Holy Spirit Chapel in South Gardner. For years, she walked from her home to church for daily Mass regardless of the weather. She was a frequent volunteer at the Spirit Fair and enjoyed the Holy Spirit Lenten Fish Fry events and the Holy Rosary Bazaar.  More recently, Mary Anne found comfort and inspiration in watching the daily Mass through the Annunciation Parish YouTube channel and the Daily TV Mass online. Mary Anne faithfully prayed the Rosary every day, keeping her family, friends and many others in special prayer.

Mary Anne was recognized as a dedicated and compassionate nurse by the patients she served.  She was known for her kind and empathetic way with people and healing presence. During a recent stay at a rehabilitation center, another patient recognized Mary Anne and reminded her of how kind and calming she had been in caring for her during a difficult recovery many years ago.  She summed it up by reminding her, “You are a great nurse.  You always were.” Nursing was her true calling, and she found great satisfaction in helping others, whether they were children, elders, or animals.

Mary Anne enjoyed spending time with her family, watching birds in her yard, monitoring the weather, reading, history, and watching old Westerns.  She especially loved watching “The Waltons” and set time aside each day to watch it because it reminded her of her time growing up during the Depression. She was very proud of her Scotts-Irish ancestry, attending the Highland Games and enjoying bagpipe music.  A simple person, Anne believed strongly in not wasting anything and in making do with what one had.  She always put others’ needs before own and gave generously of what she had, supporting several charities that had special meaning for her for years.

Anne is survived by her brother, William J. Horrigan and his wife Carol of South
Dennis, MA, her daughter Mary Martha and her husband, Keith Dupuis and her granddaughter, Mary Elizabethel Roth-Dupuis of Athol, MA; her daughter, Lue Roth with whom she lived of South Gardner; and her daughter Kathleen Roth of East Templeton, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins both in the United States and on Prince Edward Island, Canada.  She also leaves two special nieces, Lisa Jacks of Feeding Hills, MA and Lynne Gorsuch of Yarmouthport, MA, who share her love of nursing and frequently called to check on her. She is also remembered by her beloved friends and neighbors, especially Alma Favreau, Paula Vincent, Joni Sandberg and Gail Ledoux, who were frequent visitors to her home and with whom she shared many happy hours. She will be remembered as a woman of great faith, compassion, and love for others.

She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Kenneth, her brother Paul W. Horrigan and his wife Dorothy, and her brother, Brian F.P. Horrigan.

At Anne’s request, there will be no calling hours.  A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 11:00 in the Holy Spirit campus of Annunciation Parish, 50 Lovewell Street, South Gardner with internment at Green Bower Cemetery, Union Street, South Gardner.

In lieu of flowers and at Anne’s request, the family asks that you kindly consider making a donation to Catholic Relief Services, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, or the Gardner CAC.