Mary Ellen (Flavin) Gleason, 85, passed away peacefully on July 9, 2016 at Oakdale Nursing Home.
She was born in Lynn to Joseph and Flora (Bonefant) Flavin. She attended Lynn Public Schools and graduated from Saint Mary's High School. She held a variety of jobs over the years. She was a long time bus driver transporting children with special needs in and around the Worcester area. She and her husband Jack were very instrumental in founding the Horace Mann Home in Oakdale which provides homes and services for the disabled adults.
She enjoyed many summers in Dennis Port at Grindell's Trailer Park, and in retirement, spent many years wintering in Orlando, Florida.
She was predeceased by her parents and her husband of 49 years, John E. Gleason.
She leaves her children Michael and his wife Dot, Cathy, Mary Patricia, Patrick and Heidi Bourque, John and Christine, and Jennifer Sabacinski and her husband Jim. She also leaves her grandchildren, Callie Fontaine and her husband Mike, Daniel and his wife Katelyn, Kevin and his fiancé Kelly, Tim, Zachary and Ashley Sabacinski and her fiancé Adam, Bailey, C.J., Maddison, Kameron and Nicholas. She leaves her great-grandson, Theo Thompson Gleason. She also leaves her sister-in-law Mary C. Gleason of Swampscott and several nieces and nephews, along with many friends at the nursing home.
Mary was a person whose faith meant a great deal to her. She was a devoted follower of the television series of Mother Angelica.
The family would like to thank all of the staff at Oakdale Nursing Home for the love, their compassion and the kindness they shared with Mary every day over the last four years. She found great pleasure in playing bingo, painting pictures, doing puzzles and being a participant on many committees. She loved watching the birds and squirrels feeding outside of her window.
Visiting hours will be on Tuesday, July 12th from 9:30am until 10:30am at FAY BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 1 West Boylston St., West Boylston. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 111 Worcester St., West Boylston. Burial will follow at Mount Vernon Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Oakdale Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center c/o The Activities Department, 76 North Main St., West Boylston, MA, 01583. These donations will help many other residents participate in and enjoy the extensive variety of activities that are offered to them every day.