Mary Timmins (Cambria) peacefully passed away on August 9, 2024 at age 83 after living a beautiful life full of friendships, love and laughter. We are simply heartbroken to say goodbye sooner than we thought we would.
Mary was beloved by all that crossed her path and deservedly so. From the time she was little girl growing up in the West End of Boston, she forged deep and loving friendships with women who became like sisters to her. Some of the most cherished friendships in Mary’s life were Joyce, Jean, Jean, Jean (yes, she had 3 best friends named Jean!), Pat, Joan, Joanne, Lori, Paul and Tony.
Mary was such an amazing mother to her daughter Christine, and she devoted her weekends as a single parent to take her hiking in the Blue Hills, candlepin bowling at Boston Bowl, exploring museums, art galleries, street festivals, amusement parks, libraries, quirky bookstores, trying all sorts of diverse cuisine, always followed by browsing in high-end shops she couldn’t afford. She instilled a love of travel that included trips to Nantucket, Vermont, Montreal for the World’s Fair, Beaver Lake, Las Vegas, and Disney World. Mary taught her daughter how to ski, ice skate, horseback ride, and she even enrolled her in the prestigious Boston School of Ballet, which thankfully only lasted for one lesson.
Mary was a firm believer in education to advance oneself, and she fostered a love of learning and reading, in part by taking college classes. One of our fondest family memories was when she and Christine were in the same class at Northeastern and the professor looked up and said “Mary and Christine Timmins…are you two sisters?” It wasn’t a surprise he thought that, given Mary’s preternatural beauty and youthful appearance that stayed with her throughout her life. She was a gorgeous woman, and she took incredible pride in her appearance and had impeccable taste, grace and manners.
Besides being an exceptional friend and mother, Mary was a groundbreaker in having a career in the days when that wasn’t always the norm for women like her. She worked incredibly hard, often holding down two jobs, while saving and investing smartly throughout her life. Mary started her career at The Statler Hilton Hotel, and then worked for The Gillette Company for thirty years. Part of our family lore was that Mary was recruited to work for the Playboy Club in Boston (which she respectfully declined). Even after Mary retired, she continued to work part-time at Craddock’s Apothecary and Café Escadrille, while also volunteering at Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s gift shop.
Some of Mary’s favorite activities in retirement were lunches with her best friends, spending holidays and weekends with her family, watching old movies, traveling to Florida with Tony, and gambling, especially slot machines and scratch tickets. Mary always believed that the next ticket would be a jackpot winner, and we teased her that she had already hit the jackpot with how she lived her life and how incredibly well she loved those around her.
Mary leaves her daughter Christine Timmins Barry, son-in-law Mark, granddaughter Cambria, stepson Eric Fahey, and the countless friends she made over the years. Mary was predeceased by her husband Frank Timmins and her parents Mamie and Gaetano Cambria. We are so grateful for the loving care that Mary received through Brightview Senior Living, Hospice Services of Massachusetts and with her companion Kristina.
Funeral services are private and being handled by Burke-Magliozzi in Andover, MA. We will host a celebration of life in September to honor this extraordinary woman. In lieu of flowers, donations to Mary’s favorite charity St Jude’s Hospital www.stjude.org are deeply appreciated.