Obituary of Mary E. "Mamie" O'Dowd

Mary E. “Mamie” O’Dowd,age 95, formerly of Peabody, passed away on August 17,2011 at her home in North Carolina with her niece and her husband, Susan (Yelverton) L’Italian and Michael L’Italian . Born in Peabody, MA on October 13,1915, she was the daughter of the late John and Margaret (Feeney) O’Dowd of Peabody. She was raised in Peabody and lived there most of her life until moving to VA in 2005 and then to North Carolina in 2007. Mamie graduated from St. John the Baptist High School in 1933 and was a former communicant of St. John the Baptist Church in Peabody. She had worked at the Jacobs Shoe in Lynn, MA for several years before retiring in 1980. She was a former member of the Peabody Golden Age Club where she enjoyed playing Bingo and going on numerous trips. She was also one of the original members of the “Prime Time Club” in Pinehurst , NC, where she enjoyed many happy times with new friends. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, spending time with her family (particularly the little ones) and traveling. One of her most memorable trips was to Ireland in 1980 to visit the birthplace of both her parents. Mary is survived by 3 nieces and 1 nephew; Janet (Yelverton) McDonald and her partner, William Letourneau of Marblehead, Susan (Yelverton) L’Italian and her husband Michael of Pinehurst, NC, Sharon (Kelley) Keefe of Wilmington and Brian Yelverton of Peabody. She is also survived by 8 grand nieces and nephews; Tara (McDonald) Segee, Tina (McDonald) Burford, Jason McDonald, Melissa (Nevins) Miller, Brianna (Nevins) Davis, Shaighla Nevins, Rachael (Keefe) Esher and Erin Keefe and also several great grand nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was pre-deceased by 3 Sisters, Elizabeth Yelverton and Margaret Nevins of Peabody and Evelyn Kelley of Danvers. Private funeral arrangements were handled by the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home of Peabody, MA with a funeral Mass at St. John the Baptist Church in Peabody. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem, MA. If desired, donations in Mary’s Memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the Peabody Golden Age Club, 79 Central St., Peabody, MA 01960.