Shrewsbury – Mary A. (Foy) Catanzaro, 82, a longtime Shrewsbury resident, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 with her family gathered at her side.
Mary was born in Millbury on Feb. 6, 1935, one of three children of James J. and Mary Agnes (Berry) Foy. Raised in Millbury, Mary graduated from Worcester Girls Trade and lived for a time on Franklin Street in Worcester before moving to Shrewsbury in 1958 and had lived there ever since.
Mary a people person, worked as a waitress many years for the Ground Round in Shrewsbury and Ihop. She then worked for a time at UMass Memorial Hospital.
Mary is survived by her five devoted children, Mary Frances Catanzaro of Falmouth, James F. Catanzaro, Mario A. Catanzaro and his wife Donna and Susan M. McKeown, with whom she lived, all of Shrewsbury, and Jonathan Catanzaro of Worcester; 10 grandchildren, Erica, Justine, David, Christa, Isabella, Sophia, Mary, Danny, Emily and Jonathan; five great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Two sisters, June M. Griffin and R. Alice Marlborough, predeceased her.
She was a member of St. Anne’s Church. Mary truly believed that faith, family and friends were the most important parts of her life. She was the backbone of her family and remained devoted to them throughout her life. Her unwavering faith kept her grounded through life’s challenges. Her passing leaves a hole in our hearts but her loving and caring soul will not be forgotten. She was a beautiful person who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life; spending time with her family, sewing and gardening, babysitting her grandchildren and helping her children when needed.
Friends and relatives are invited to calling hours Wednesday, Dec. 27, from 9-10:30 a.m., at the MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation St., Worcester, before departing in procession to the Church of Saint Anne, 130 Boston Tpke., Shrewsbury, where her celebration of life Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Mountain View Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial remembrances in her name can be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
