Obituary of John T. Mara

John T. Mara, 68, of Peabody, died early Friday evening at his home following a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of C. Ruth (McCarthy) Mara with whom he shared over 38 years of marriage. Born in Lowell, he was the son of the late John and Esther (Lussier) Mara. He was raised in Lowell and attended Lowell Public Schools and was a graduate of Lowell High School, class of 1954. He later lived in Beverly and Danvers, and has spent the last 35 years living in Peabody. He served with the United States Army from 1961 until 1963 as a Military Police Officer. He later managed the Friendly’ s Ice Cream Restaurant in Beverly and later for Brigham Ice Cream in Somerville, and finally, before his retirement in 2001, he worked for 15 years for Boston Gas as a Road Utility worker. After his retirement, he worked for a year as a security guard for the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. He enjoyed traveling the coastal shores of New England and would often take day trips with his wife Ruth. He also enjoyed ocean fishing, and was also politically active with the city of Peabody Politics, and at one time served as political manager for former City Councilor, William Toomey. He is survived by a son, Stephen Mara of Peabody; two daughters and sons-in-law, Suzanne and Michael Iovanna, and Cindy and Mathew Stevens, all of Peabody; a sister-in-law, Jean Mara of Nashua, NH, and a brother-in-law, William White of Fla; and two grandchildren, Michael Iovanna Jr., and Alexandra Iovanna, both of Peabody. His funeral service will be held on Wednesday at 8:00 AM from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 20 Church St., Peabody Facility, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Peabody at 9:00 AM to which relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visitation on Tuesday from 4 until 8 PM. Burial in St. Mary’ s Cemetery, Salem. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hospice of the North Shore, 10 Elm St., Danvers, MA 01923.