Mary Ellen Mahoney, age 100, died peacefully on Thursday. Mary was a vibrant, loving woman right up to the last days of her life.

Mary was born in Ballinacurra, Midleton, County Cork, Ireland, on July 9, 1908, to Michael and Margaret Fitzgerald Higgins. Her father died when Mary was quite young, and her brothers were forced to emigrate to support themselves. Mary and her mother followed her three older siblings to the United States in 1927. She lived and worked in Buffalo, New York, for eleven years before she met and married Cornelius Mahoney. Neil and Mary settled in Mamaroneck, New York, where they raised their three children, Jeremiah, Margaret, and Mary Ellen. Neil worked in Grand Central Station for the New Haven Railroad, and Mary worked as a housekeeper.

Mary lived in Mamaroneck for 55 years where she was an active communicant at Most Holy Trinity Church. She was a member of Catholic Daughters and the Altar Society. She sang in the church choir and was known for her beautiful soprano voice. Both Neil and Mary were devoted to their children and worked very hard to provide for their well-being and their education. Mary loved the local Harbor Island Beach and New York Mets baseball.

Mary lived independently in Mamaroneck until ten years ago, when she started to divide her time between her daughters' homes in Cape Cod and Lompoc, California. In 2002, she moved fulltime to Lompoc. Her presence in their homes enriched their daily lives.

Mary is survived by her daughters, Peggy (John) Basile of East Dennis, MA and Mary Ellen (Christopher) Brooks of Lompoc; her five grandchildren, Suzanne Kilgallen of Brooklyn, NY, Thomas Kilgallen Jr. (Brandon) of Weston, MA, Daniel (Jeanette) Brooks of Santa Barbara, Shannon Brooks of Santa Barbara, and Kevin Brooks, (US Marine Reserves Iraq); and three great-grandchildren, Elliott, William, and Searcy Kilgallen. She is predeceased by her husband, Cornelius, who died in 1986, and her son, Jeremiah, who died in 2001.

Mary, her family, and friends recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a music-filled garden party. She was in good health and was able to sing a few choruses of "Danny Boy". She received a blessing from Fr. John Fitzgerald of Queen of Angels Church. Mrs. Mahoney was also honored by the President of Ireland with a Centenarian's bounty and a letter of congratulations. Her 100th birthday was also recognized by the Brotherhood of Railroad Workers. Her daughters, their husbands, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews from the East Coast and Dublin, Ireland, joined with her friends from California for this celebration of her long life and generous spirit.

The family would like to thank Victoria Golson who served as a committed caregiver and friend to Mary for the past ten years. They would also like to thank Marian Hospice and the Lompoc Convalescent Care Center staff for their assistance during her last days.

A graveside service will take place at a later date at the family plot in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Valhalla, New York.