Mary Margaret McGinn

Surrounded by her loving family, Mary Margaret McGinn, a wonderful mother and grandmother, was called home to be with the Lord on August 10, 2023. She was one of the great ones when it came to a loving, kind and generous wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. She was a very accomplished woman yet always had the needs of her family as her top priority.

Mary was born on October 27, 1932, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada to Anne and Dominic Tighe. She grew up in Canada and in 1953 graduated from Hotel Dieu Hospital - School of Nursing as a Registered Nurse. In the mid 1950’s, she and some of her nursing school colleagues came to California and worked as travelling nurses. It was while in California she met the love of her life, John McGinn, a World War II veteran. They were married in June 1960 and moved to Thousand Oaks shortly thereafter. They were recognized as one of the first residents of the City of Thousand Oaks and as one of the first parishioners of St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church. Within their first year of marriage, they had their eldest child, a daughter, MaryGrace, born with cerebral palsy. They had two more children, and their daughters Elena and then Marianne were born a few years later. Mary exhibited tremendous strength and resilience despite the hardship of raising a child born with a severe disability.

Despite the demands of balancing work and family life, Mary instilled in her daughters a passion for learning and was a role model for them by continuing her education throughout their formative years. She went back to school as an adult and graduated Cum Laude from California State University, Northridge in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Sociology. Several years later, she returned to school to pursue a master’s degree and graduated in 1993 from UCLA with a master’s in clinical social work.

Mary worked for many years as a Registered Nurse in acute care at various hospitals including St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica and at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. She also worked in the field of mental health for several years at Camarillo State Hospital as a Registered Nurse and then later as a Social Worker, retiring in 1997.

In retirement, Mary enjoyed travelling to Canada, Ireland and in visiting various destinations in the United States. She especially enjoyed spending time with friends and family. She was very proud of her Canadian citizenship and would make several trips with family over the years to visit relatives in her native land.

Mary served in various volunteer capacities throughout her lifetime but most especially worked to serve on the St. Paschal Parish Council and with various causes associated with the Catholic Church. Her faith in Jesus Christ provided the foundation for how she lived and for how she was able to endure the trials and triumphs of life.

Mary was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years, John McGinn, and her eldest daughter MaryGrace. In addition, she was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Eugene and Jack Tighe and her sister Rita Gray.

Mary is survived by her loving daughters Marianne McGinn, Elena (Bill) Keenan and her wonderful grandsons Brendan (Elizabeth) Keenan and John and Colin Keenan, all of Thousand Oaks, California. She is also survived by her dear nephews Frank and Tom Tighe of Ontario, Canada, Reid Gray of Brewer, Maine and Edward Garrett of West Orange, New Jersey.

The family would like to express their gratitude to their mother’s Primary Care Physician, Dr. Steven McCarthy, for his professionalism and dedicated care of their mother. And the family would like to extend a special thanks to staff at Intra Care Home Health Services and especially to nurses Kristin Thames and Mary Shellhorn for the extraordinary care and compassion they showed to their mother.

Friends and family are invited to attend a Rosary on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Chapel located at 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, California. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church located at 155 East Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, California. Reception to be held immediately following in the church hall. Interment to follow the reception at 2:30 p.m. at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park located at 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, California.