Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Mercure
ST. ALBANS: How can it be that our feisty mother lost her battle with age? We encouraged her to stay with us to celebrate her milestone birthday of 90 only a few short weeks away, but she said “90? For What!”
While in the hospital she insisted that she wanted to go home. She won that finale battle and was brought home for one final night in the home she loved with her family by her side.
In her youth, she had the goal of becoming a chemist and attended Simmons College. She left college to follow her love, Joe Mercure, into the Air Force and the never ending task of being our mother.
She worked tirelessly at bringing up seven children. She was the original “Do It Yourself” girl long before it became a thing. She plastered walls, papered walls, put up storm windows, shoveled snow, found magical ways to spread a food dollar, and any and all projects necessary to keep her family going.
While doing all this, she also kept track of the endless antics of a very busy family.
Mom was born on August 23, 1930, the daughter of Margaret Olive Mawn and Andrew J. Mawn. She married Edward (Joe) Mercure on November 22, 1952, and they had seven children, Mary Jane McMahon (Ed), Mark Joseph Mercure, Judy Ann Mercure, Joanne Marie Ruch, Martha Ellen Turner (Roger Draper), Stephen Edward Mercure, and Paul Allen Mercure (Susan). She had 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
She is also survived by her siblings Virginia Howrigan, Rita Mawn, Patricia Heimberger, and Kathleen Tabor, and her sister-in-law Kathy Mawn.
She was predeceased by her parents, her husband “Joe”, her son Mark, a great-granddaughter Liberty, her sister Margaret Yuen and her brother Andrew Mawn.
Mom’s early years were spent enjoying St Albans, which she loved in the simpler times. She attended St Mary’s grade school and high school where she was the Valedictorian of her class, cheerleader, basketball player, and a junior public speaker. She worked for 25 years at Union Carbide, retiring in 1992. She was a volunteer for Flynn Spirit, Meals on Wheels, and was a longtime supporter of the BFA Boosters.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, July 30, 2020, at 11:00 AM in St. Mary’s Church. Interment will follow in the Mercure Family Lot in Holy Cross Cemetery. Her family will receive condolences at St. Mary’s, from 10:00 AM until the time of the Mass.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Brady & Levesque Funeral Home, where online condolences and memories of Betty may be shared with her family and friends at www.bradyandlevesque.com.
