Leydon, Mary E., of Mission Hill, 85, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2018 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Mary was the eldest daughter of the late Daniel J. Leydon and Elizabeth M. (McDonough) Leydon of Mission Hill. She is survived by her loving brother Thomas G. Leydon of Holbrook and predeceased by her dear sister, Ann M. (Leydon) Knight, devoted brother Joseph D. Leydon and loving sister Jean F. (Leydon) Mattson. Mary is also survived by her dear sister in law Doris Leydon of Woburn and many devoted nieces and nephews who will miss her greatly.
Mary was a teacher in the Boston Public Schools for over 41 years, teaching at the Martin Milmore Elementary School for several years before moving up to the middle school level at the William Howard Taft Middle School in Brighton as both a teacher and administrator. Throughout her career as a teacher, Mary received numerous awards in recognition of her hard work and devotion to her students. The awards include the coveted Golden Apple Award for outstanding leadership as a sixth grade teacher at the Taft Middle School, an award from the Harvard Business School recognizing her efforts in fostering a tutor and mentoring partnership between the Harvard Business School and the Taft Middle School, an award from the Boston Celtics and the NBA recognizing her superb work with the Stay in School program and an award for Excellence in Education from Pi Lambda Theta, the international honor society for professional educators. Mary was also very active with her alma mater, the Boston College School of Education and Boston University’s Graduate School of Education, fostering a collaborative program for student teachers, observers and student assistants while providing aspirational guidance for Taft Middle School students who wanted to attend college. Mary received her BA from Boston College, and her MA from Boston State College in Reading and Guidance along with a CAGS in Educational Administration. Mary was also devoted to Mission Church and served for many years as an Eucharistic Minister and as a Tutor at the Mission Elementary School following her retirement from the Boston Public Schools. The greatest loss will be to her many nieces and nephews to whom Mary served as a role model, tutor, surrogate parent and mentor.
Visiting hours will be held at the Robert J. Lawler and Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
A Funeral Mass will be held at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church) on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 10:00 am.
The interment will follow immediately after the funeral at the New Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale, MA. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend all services.
Donations in Mary’s memory may be made to the Mission Grammar Fund in support of the Mission Grammar School of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 94 St. Alphonsus St, Roxbury, MA 02120.
www.lawlerfuneralhome.com