Brunswick – Patricia Ruth (Burke) Mahoney, age 89, passed away on June 17, 2024, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House from complications of a stroke.
Patricia was born December 3, 1934, in Methuen MA to William A .and Agnes R. Burke, the youngest of eight children. After graduating from Methuen high School, she took a position in the railroad mailroom at South Station, Boston. In July 1956 she married James F. (Jim) Mahoney, Jr of Stoneham, MA. They raised two children, Kathleen and James. She and Jim divorced in 1980. Patricia spent the following eighteen years with her partner, John B. Rumore of Everett MA, until his death in July 1998.
In December 2001, Patricia retired from Harvard University where she was the Customer Service Supervisor of the Media and Instructional Technology Department. She moved to Farmington ME upon retirement, purchasing her very first home at the age of 67 - a feat of which she remained very proud. She later lived in Portland, Maine, and even moved back to the Boston area for a couple of years but she missed Maine, returning to live in Brunswick in 2015.
Patricia (or Pat, and even sometimes Patsy) was beloved by many for her sense of humor, her often-feisty attitude, and her fierce independence. She loved fish-and-chips, cinnamon raisin bagels, and Dewar’s and soda, but she loved nothing on earth more than her family.
Patricia is survived by her daughter, Kathleen Mahoney, also of Brunswick, her son James Mahoney of Manchester NH, her granddaughter Jennifer Ballard of Boston, and her granddaughter Keri and Erin Mahoney, both of Portsmouth, grandson Joseph Mahoney of Portland Maine, and one great granddaughter. Patricia also leaves behind her best friend of 65 years, Patricia A. Cunningham of Nashua, NH.
Patricia is predeceased by her partner John Rumore and her beloved grandson William A. Ballard, her parents, and all her seven siblings.
Her family will hold a private gathering in Patricia’s memory in July. Online messages of condolence can be posted on https://mainefuneral.com/Obituaries.html.
Donations in Patricia’s memory can be made to Gosnell Memorial Hospice House for their incredible care and comfort of Patricia as well as her family during a very difficult week.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com