WESTFIELD: Mary Lee Brady of Westfield passed away Saturday, November 7, 2020, at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, with her daughters at her side. She was born in Greenfield on November 25, 1933, to Joseph and Laura (Boissy) Carlisle and grew up in the Turners Falls area. Mary met her husband of 65 years, Laurence, while they were students at Bridgewater State College. They married in 1955 and later settled in Westfield where they became elementary school teachers. Both completed Master’s Degrees at Westfield State College. Mary taught kindergarten and first grade for most of her teaching career at the Moseley, Washington Street, and Southampton Road Schools, and she also served for a time as the director of the YMCA Nursery School. She and Laurence were long-time members of the Western Hampden Historical Society and volunteered tirelessly at the Dewey House. Mary joined the Westfield Arts Council in the 1980s and was involved for many years with the WestFest Arts Festival. After she retired from teaching in 1995, Mary became an enthusiastic member of the Westfield Woman’s Club, the YMCA, the Tuesday Afternoon Club, and the Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden. Mary was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church. A lifelong baseball fan, Mary shared a love of the Red Sox and Fenway Park as a child with her father, and was delighted to watch her grandson play in Little League, Babe Ruth, and high school. She enjoyed traveling, especially to York and Kennebunkport, ME, Anna Maria Island, FL, Boston, Bermuda, and London. Her greatest joy was being a grandmother.
Mary is survived by her loving husband, Laurence, of Holyoke; her daughter Kathleen Brady of Jessup, MD; her daughter Susan Brady, son-in-law Michael Roundy, and grandson David Roundy of Westfield; her sisters-in-law Amy Carlisle and Pat Wood of Arizona, and Rosemary Brady of Florida; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her dear brother, David Carlisle. The family extends special thanks to the staffs at Armbrook Village, Westfield Gardens, and Baystate Medical Center for Mary’s care.
Funeral and burial services are private. Arrangements are under the direction of Firtion Adams Funeral Service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary’s memory may be made to The Dewey House, PO Box 256, Westfield, MA, 01086, or the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Saint Mary’s, 30 Bartlett Street, Westfield, MA 01085. Firtionadams.com
