Mary T. Barry, age 72, a lifelong Quincy resident, died, Sunday, December 1, 2024, in the comfort of her home, surrounded by her loving family.

Beloved daughter of the late J. Rita (Lambert) and Chief Edward F. Barry, Quincy Fire Department, Retired and sister of the late Barbara A. Casagrande. Mary was the third child of six children.

Mary deeply loved her family, especially all her nieces and nephews. She was blessed with wonderful friends and truly cherished the time she spent with them. Throughout her life her favorite thing to do was spending time with family and friends and their children celebrating and making happy memories. She thoroughly enjoyed all the parties, cookouts, birthdays and holidays that brought everyone together. She was often the first guest to arrive, immediately offering a helping hand and never wanting to leave until the cleanup was done!

Mary was intelligent, educated, and well read. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Class of 1970, and went on to graduate from Framingham State College. She was a wonderful source of knowledge and at times she would be like a search engine seeking out and locating information for family and friends. She had an eye for detail, always striving for perfection. She enjoyed travelling with family and some of her favorite trips were to Ireland and Disney World. She also enjoyed spending time down on Cape Cod and up in Maine. Boston however was her favorite city. Mary knew every inch of the city and could navigate it by foot, train, car, or trolley spending time in her favorite restaurants and shops.

Mary was a wonderful baker and cook. She had spent her junior year abroad studying at Sorbonne University in France. While there she also visited Italy, England, and Germany as well. She came back with a fondness for France and all things French, especially the food (but NOT the wine)! She had an extensive cookbook and recipe collection. Recipes were collected from magazines, newspapers, and of course from family and friends. If you had a recipe that failed and asked her advice she could tell you exactly how to achieve a desired result or what would work and why. Mary was always interested in the tools of the trade and she had an extensive collection of them. If you were lucky and promised to be very careful and followed her explicit verbal and written instructions as to how to use and care for them, she would happily let you borrow them, especially if she was your Auntie!

Mary was deeply loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

So in her honor, come let’s sit, have a cookie and a cup of tea. And we’ll smile and laugh together, as we recall a happy Mary memory.

God Bless and Joy be with you all.

Visiting hours will be held at the Sweeney Brothers Home for Funerals, 1 Independence Avenue, Quincy, on Sunday, December 15, from 1 – 4 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Saint John the Baptist Church, 44 School Street, Quincy, on Monday, December 16, at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary’s memory may be made to the Ellie Fund for Breast Cancer, 200 Reservoir Street, Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494 (www.elliefund.org), or the charity of your choice.