Jean Marie (Currivan) Kirwan, age 79, cherished wife of the late Lawrence T. Kirwan, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 9, 2013.
Jean, a longtime Duxbury resident, was born in Boston on January 1, 1934. She was the youngest child of Thomas E. Currivan and Sadie (Bryden) Currivan. An honor roll student, Jean graduated from Dorchester High School for Girls in 1951 and attended Northeastern University. Jean and Lawrence were married on April 13, 1952 in Dorchester. Lawrence and Jean founded Kirwan Surgical Products which is located in Marshfield, MA and is still family-owned and operated.
As a young girl, Jean’s dream was to have a large family. She achieved that dream with much skill and grace. She had 7 children, 18 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Her children remember her as the quintessential mother (or Mama, Mum, Mumma, Mom). Nothing was ever out of place. Beds were always made. The children always looked "neat and tidy". A square meal was always on the table at the same time every night. And somehow, our school lunches were always packed in such a way that the sandwich never got smooshed—an amazing feat of engineering. She did all this seemingly effortlessly, as we scarcely recall her toil but often remember things like bedtime stories which she read to us from favorite books, especially “Make Way for Ducklings”.
As a young mom, she submitted recipes and household tips to the Boston Globe's "Confidential Chat" column, signing her contributions "Little White Shoes." She loved her cats and the many other pets her family had over the years. She had a passion for bird-watching and kept the birds in her yard very well-fed while outsmarting the squirrels. She had a house full of chiming and cuckoo-ing clocks and enjoyed solving crosswords while sipping a cup of hot tea. Jean and her late husband Lawrence enjoyed watching (and fiercely competing over) Jeopardy. She made heart-shaped cakes (with a cherry on top) for countless school bake sales and birthdays. She loved visitors, a delighted smile lighting up her face for anyone who popped by. She loved to laugh and provoked (often inappropriate) giggling with her daughters.
Jean was an avid traveler who inspired a curiosity for travel in her children and grandchildren. She loved all things British and visited England many times with her family. She also traveled to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and China in addition to many American cities. She most loved her hometown of Boston and had an extensive collection of Swan Boat art.
Jean’s spirit, appearance and personality live on in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was proud of her children and grandchildren’s accomplishments, always encouraging us to do our best. Her legacy includes teachers, a professor, librarians, a television writer and producer, business executives, a nurse, lawyers, and that’s just the beginning.
Jean leaves her children Kathleen (Kirwan) Feeney of Marshfield, Dr. Judith Kirwan Kelley of Duxbury, Jean Kirwan Fargo of Raleigh, NC, Lawrence Kirwan Jr. of Kingston, Christine (Kirwan) McGrath Abbott of Kingston, Scott Kirwan of Cohasset and Nancy Kirwan-Hayden of Weston, CT as well as her sons-in-law and daughters-in-law. She is survived by her grandchildren Katie (Feeney) Kerrigan, Dennis Feeney, Christopher Fargo, Laura (Fargo) McKinnon, Kara (Kelley) Katz, Lindsey Kelley, Courtney (Kelley) Viveiros, Teddy Kirwan, Matthew Kirwan, Olivia McGrath, Emily McGrath Abbott, Matt Abbott, Mike Abbott, Kyle Kirwan, Audrey Kirwan, Henry Hayden, Griffin Hayden and Owen Hayden. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren Collin Kerrigan, Deaglan Kerrigan, Grace Viveiros, Hannah Viveiros and Madeline Katz. She is survived by her beloved sister Loretta Struzik of Quincy. Jean was also the loving sister of the late Thomas Currivan, the late Joseph Currivan and the late William Currivan.
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother" - Abraham Lincoln.
Family, faith, laughter.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, December 13th from 4-7:00 PM at the Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main St (Rt. 106) Kingston. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, December 14th at 11:00 AM at Holy Family church, Duxbury. Interment will be at the Mayflower cemetery in Duxbury. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (shop.stjude.org) or the Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org).