Our sweet and kind classmate, Mary McGowan Bennett, sadly passed away on April 12, 2013 at her home in New York, surrounded by her loving family.  I'll always remember Mary's smile and sweet disposition.  She leaves her loving husband, Matthew, and their six children, Allison, Meagan, Sarah, Matthew, Colleen and Patrick, along with her parents, Thomas and Margaret of East Longmeadow and her siblings, Tom (our classmate), Liz, Ann, James and Margaret.  She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

I would occasionally see Mary at church when she was back in town to visit her parents - she was always as pleasant, kind and sweet as can be.  

Her husband wrote a beautiful tribute to Mary in the attached obituary.  

http://ssqfuneralhome.com/online-obituary/2013-04-mary-c-bennett/10047061

Mary C. Bennett of Monroe, NY died on Friday April 12th, 2013 at home surrounded by her loving family. She was 56 years old. She was born on December 13th, 1956 in Springfield, MA, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret McGowan. Mary was a loving and devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt. Surviving are her husband of 30 years,  Matthew T.; her children Allison, Meagan, Sarah, Matthew, Colleen and Patrick; her parents Thomas J. and Margaret M. McGowan of Massachusetts; her brother Thomas [Joan] McGowan, her sister Elizabeth [Daniel] Silva, and her sister Ann [Jeff] Kimball all of Massachusetts; her brother James McGowan of Connecticut and sister Margaret [Martin] Gonzalez of East Meadow, New York, her sister-in-law Patricia [Daniel] Scanlan, of Virginia, her brothers-in-law William [Joan] Bennett, of Nevada and Michael [Mary Ellen] Bennett, of Beacon, New York; and her many loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews and cousins. 
  
The family would like to express its deep gratitude to the wonderful nursing and medical staffs at ORMC  (especially Melissa O'Neill, R.N.) and  Crystal Run oncology, particularly Kerry Golden, R.N. and Dr. Gurvinder Sethi for their compassion and excellent care during Mary's illness. 
  
A personal statement from her husband reads: 
  
To know Mary was to love her; that beautiful smile, those sparkling blue eyes and that warm and gentle spirit. 
  
Her family was EVERYTHING to Mary.  She was SO proud of her six wonderful, talented and beautiful children: Allison, Meagan, Sarah, Matthew, Colleen and Patrick. What joy they gave her; from the moment she laid her eyes upon them to the moment she closed her eyes for the last time. The love and devotion she poured into them she received back, six fold. 
  
Mary always ran a "tight ship"; you have to, she would say, when you have six kids (and one helpless husband, I might add). She always kept 'the list' of the kids' daily activities, shuttling them to and from school, doctors, Little League, Brownies, Pop Warner football, etc. in our mini-vans over the years. Somehow she also managed to fit in being a Brownie leader, "team Mom", CCD teacher and Eucharistic minister.   
  
Our kids learned that if they misbehaved that Mommy would discipline them firmly, right there and then. But they also knew that Mom would be fair and consistent. Not much got past Mary.  She expected her children to be kind, polite and respectful to everyone and to always do their best. Mary would always say "make us proud". At the end, all she asked was that they honor her memory and continue to make her proud by loving and supporting each other and their Dad. I have no doubt that they will. 
  

Mary was a woman of great faith, but she did not wear her faith on her sleeve. Mary lived her faith every day and in every way. Her poignant statement upon being advised that her days were short was "God must have plans for me". 
   
Our love was a fairy tale romance, of boundless love and deep devotion that began in 1982 and will live on forever. As we faced the unthinkable, I said to Mary, that I had hoped we would have another thirty years together, she softly replied, "That wouldn't have been enough." 
  
Oh, Mary, my love, you have left me broken hearted, but with a million memories of you and our love. 

Visitation will be held from 7-9 pm on Monday, April 15th and from 2-4 & 7-9 pm on Tuesday, April 16th at Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush, Inc. Funeral Home, 117 Maple Avenue, Monroe. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, April 17th at St. Patrick's Church, Route 32, Highland Mills. Interment will follow in the Cemetery of the Highlands in Highland Mills. 

Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Memorial Processing Center, PO Box 7, East Syracuse, NY 13057 or Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, Inc., 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY 12550.www.hospiceoforange.com.