Obituary of Mary J. (Mallia) Cena

Peabody – Mary J. Cena was born on November 9, 1924 and passed away at the Brudnick Center for Living in Peabody on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, surrounded by her loving family and friends. She was the daughter of Anthony and Jeanette Mallia and was one of eleven children. She was born in Middlebury, Vermont and was predeceased by her husband, Guido, with whom she shared more than thirty-four years of marriage. A lifelong Peabody resident, Mary was enigmatic, with a larger than life personality. She enjoyed life to its very fullest and everyone around her felt her enormous presence and spirit. She was the life of every party and she spent all her working years in a service role always helping others. She worked at Peabody Cash Market, a family business, Peabody City Hall in the Collector’s office and at the Peabody Municipal Light Plant as the head Cashier. Everyone knew Mary and everyone loved her immensely! Family and cooking were her passions in life. If you knew Mary, you have sampled her cooking at some point in your life! Whether it was Mary’s sauce, or Mary’s cheese dip, you were never hungry when Mary was present. At 91, while living at the Brudnick Center she published her first Cookbook, Cooking from the Heart, where she sold hundreds of copies! Mary spent her last years at the Brudnick Center where she lived with her 4 remaining siblings: Georgia, Lucy, Carmen and Larry. Their story prompted national media coverage of “Five Siblings Under the Same Roof”. She was a resident celebrity! When you were in her presence she made you feel like you were the single most important person in her life. She will be missed terribly. Mary lovingly leaves behind her son Carl and his wife Patricia of Kentucky. Her grandchildren Robert Cena and his wife Leslie, and Leslie Talley and her husband Alan and her five great grandchildren, Jacob, Emma Grace, Andrew, Elizabeth and Alex all of Kentucky. She is predeceased by her sister Marguerite Cullen and her husband Bill; Carmen Wesala and her husband Elmer (Wes); bothers George Mallia and his wife Tina; Larry Mallia and his wife Catherine (Tina); Johnny Mallia and his wife Lorraine, and her brothers, Tony, Sam and Joe as well as two brothers-in-law, George Southwick, and John O’Brien. She is survived by 2 sisters, Georgia Southwick, and Lucy O’Brien and one sister-in-law Gracie Mallia (wife of Tony). She had a special place in her heart for her niece and caregiver Janice Regis as well as many other wonderful nieces and nephews and many extended family members. A Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 27, 2019 from 12 Noon until 2:00 PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility with a Service there at 2:00 PM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Burial will be private in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Suite B-102, Danvers, MA in her memory. For guestbook and directiona, please visit www.ccbfuneral.com