Monica Vaughan McGonigle

Monica Mary Veronica Vaughan McGonigle, aged 65, passed away on Thursday, December 16, 2021, from complications due to sepsis after surgery. She was surrounded by her husband, Thomas Joseph McGonigle, daughter Katherine Grace, sons Stephen Joseph James and Vincent James, and daughter-in-law Anna Faith. She is survived by her brothers Christopher and William and her sisters Margaret and Marcella. Her hundreds of friends and relatives remember her fondly and are devastated by her passing.

A Viewing will be held on Tuesday, December 28, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Demaine Funeral Home, 10565 Main Street, Fairfax, VA. A Funeral Mass celebrating Monica’s eternal life will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 3901 Cathedral Lane, Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:

The Society of St. Vincent DePaul (make checks payable to Society of SVDP USA)

66 Progress Parkway

Maryland Heights, MO 63043-3706

ssvpusa.org

Or

The Michael D. DeMichele Scholarship

The University of Scranton

800 Linden Street

Scranton, PA 18510

scranton.edu/makeagift

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On May 28, 1956, Monica Mary Veronica Vaughan was born in Mount Kisco, New York to James William Vaughan and Grace Altritt Vaughan. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic School of Katonah, New York, where God blessed her with a lifelong friend in Jeryl Ann Marie Murphy Clemenza. Monica had one of the best times of her life cheerleading for the John Jay High School of Cross River, New York basketball team. She frequently recounted one of her favorite memories of her early life was being 16, hanging out with her friend Jeryl, gazing at a picture of Paul Newman that was black-and-white with blue eyes. Monica retained her thick New York accent throughout her life’s adventures.

Monica attended the University of Scranton from 1974 to 1978. She was one of the first women to participate in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program there. In her junior year, she met her husband Thomas, whom she affectionately called "G". Their first date was the Scranton Prom in April 1977, but she fondly remembered watching Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, eating pizza, and drinking a bottle of red wine as the moment she fell in love. After Monica was the first college graduate in her family, earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Monica had a successful and varied career as an accountant in the 1980s. She began her career at U.S. Tobacco, where she enjoyed the smell of pipe smoke that wafted through the halls. She made several friends and won an award while employed there. She then worked for the United Fruit Company during its transition to becoming Chiquita Brands International.

Monica and Thomas were married May 30, 1981, at her childhood church, St. Mary’s of Katonah, New York. After Thomas graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, they moved together to Brooklyn, New York in an apartment that was quote "three, arguably three-and-a-half" rooms and began their life together. She took to the New York subway system like a fish to water, happy to see the wonders of the city and excited about the adventures to be had. She enjoyed living in New York, as it was here she found her passions and talents as a chef and as a seamstress.

After her first child and daughter Katherine was born in Manhattan, New York, Monica transitioned into becoming a homemaker. She moved with her family to Fairfax, Virginia, in 1985. She found the transition difficult, but eventually came to love Virginia. The D.C. Cherry Blossoms were some of the most beautiful sights to her, and what began as an Easter tradition became a pilgrimage in later years. Monica channeled her love and her eye for beauty into everything she made, from clothing to linens to quilts to holiday decorations. Her children cannot look at pictures from Halloween without seeing her handiwork in their costumes. Monica had good taste in all things.

Monica’s passion for the culinary arts began watching the “Galloping Gourmet” Graham Kerr and found her joy in cooking from Julia Child. She frequently sought out new and exciting recipes and flavors. It was not uncommon to walk into her house and find her with a cooking show on the television, a recipe book in one hand and a second in her lap. One of her most endearing qualities was when you tried her food, before you could fully appreciate the effort she poured into and the wonderful flavors, she would ask in one breath: “How is it? You hate it?” The irony is that she never made a bad meal. While some of the recipes she tried were not successful, most were. She enjoyed delicate flavors such as Salad Niçoise, beets, shoestring french fries, Dover Sole, and Lemon Italian ice. Hot dogs were her favorite food, provided they had mustard and sauerkraut.

She became actively involved in the community and volunteered at several charities throughout her life. Monica abhorred with every fiber of her being that people in the United States could go hungry, so she devoted her love and energy to ending food scarcity in her community. She often spoke of the good times and friends she made while driving for Meals on Wheels. One of her favorite memories was collecting food with her son Vincent for Vincent’s Pantry, a food pantry she founded with the St. Vincent de Paul Society. At dinner each night, after reciting grace before meals, she made sure to add "may the poor of the world have food this day." Monica instilled this calling to charity and helping others into her family and her community.

Monica was blessed to travel on three continents and ten countries. She backpacked through Europe with her sisters when she was 22, where she survived on quote "nothing but Nutella and cigarettes." New Mexico held a special place in her heart, maybe from a family vacation there in 1998 but most likely because it too has the magic she exuded. One of her favorite trips was to Jerusalem and the Holy Land with her Husband. She frequently recounted how much she loved dipping her feet in the River Jordan and praying at the Wailing Wall. Monica returned from a trip to St. Augustine, Florida with her best friend Jeryl looking ten years younger grinning ear-to-ear. Her last major trip was one of the best experiences in her life: winning horse racing bets and listening to a Carpenters cover band while visiting Hong Kong with her son Stephen in 2019.

Of the many things she loved, mysteries held a special place in her heart. She loved Agatha Christie novels and was invested in the outcomes even when she had read and reread them. Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile were novels she particularly loved. A Lenten tradition of hers was to reread Joe McGinniss’s Fatal Vision. Monica’s favorite television show was Columbo, especially the episode "Murder under Glass," which she rewatched at least once a month.

Although she struggled with severe dyslexia from a young age, Monica was a voracious reader, Monica read the Washington Post daily and two to three books a month. She enjoyed the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on Sundays, particularly the Arts & Leisure, Style, and Cooking sections. First edition copies of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird were her two favorite non-mystery books, both well read and very loved. Some novels she enjoyed were John Grogan’s Marley and Me, Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, and Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels. Monica had a sweet tooth for trashy magazines and celebrity tabloids, which she loved reading them as they always made her giggle like a teenager.

Monica’s winsome smile could crack a diamond. She was a "serial talker" who was able to—and frequently did—make conversation with anyone in a ten-foot radius. Talking to Monica was a wonderful experience, punctuated by sound effects and hand gestures. One of her most admirable qualities wasn’t in what she said, but how she listened. Monica’s natural empathy, abundant sympathy, and ability to keep a secret under duress made her a friend and confidant to many. Monica knew time was precious, that is why she made the time because she believed people were worth the time.

Monica found solace through nature. She loved hiking with her family in the Pocono Mountains in the summer, and she enjoyed using her binoculars when she reached the summit, as she liked to see all the beautiful things faraway. She regularly kept two gardens, a flower garden in the front yard and a vegetable garden in the backyard. Her vegetable garden was a source of pride for her, which anyone who ate her beets, cabbages, corn, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries, tomatoes, and several spices would understand why she was so proud. She loved daisies and dogwoods, reflections of her bright personality.

Monica was an exceptionally good bowler—she scored several turkeys in her life—and miniature golfer. One of Monica’s favorite hobbies was talking about actors in movies who had died and how while watching the movie. She often quoted her favorite books and movies, expressing complex and profound thoughts in just a few words. She always stuck up for hopeless efforts and lost causes. She loved Ming Rose china, which she claimed (correctly) made food taste better. "America the Beautiful" made her cry every time it was played. Her three favorite songs were James Taylor’s "Sweet Baby James," America’s "Tin Man," and Coldplay’s "Viva La Vida."

Her family will never forget how hard she laughed watching Foul Play, and how she would burst into laughter just thinking about it. She couldn’t look a turkey without cracking up in laughter when she thought of Mr. Bean’s head stuck in one. Monica frequently told stories of her friends and loved ones that made her laugh, each evident of a life well lived. We will never forget how her face would light up when she opened a sparkling birthday card.

Her friends remember her incredibly warm and caring personality, and all who knew her still feel her overwhelming kindness even now. What we will miss most about Monica is her unique superpower: her ability to make a person feel special, to feel that they belong, and to make people feel like they weren’t alone. Although she was 65 years old, Monica looked about 22 years old when she passed. She left behind her love for all of us and a deep, abiding love for green lollipops. Monica was, is, and will be loved, always.