September 20, 1938 to June 21, 2013
Mary Margaret Pusey, a lifelong resident of San Diego County, passed away Friday, June 21, at her home in La Mesa from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). She was 74.
Mary was born to Genevieve A. (Young) and James A. O’Connor, Jr. on September 20, 1938, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. She was the second of five children.
As a child, Mary resided with her family in many neighborhoods of San Diego, including Linda Vista and Point Loma, as well as in San Marcos. Her family ultimately settled in what is now the City Heights section of San Diego in 1953.
As a child, Mary suffered two bouts of rheumatic fever. The second time necessitated a lengthy stay at Children's Hospital in San Diego and spending several months of the 1951–52 school year at the nearby Sunshine School. It was there that she first met a teenage boy named Gary Pusey, originally from Glenns Ferry, Idaho.
Mary recovered her health and went on to graduate from Rosary High School in 1956. She was shortly thereafter employed by the San Diego City Clerk’s office.
It was about this time that Mary attended a Sunshine School reunion and became reacquainted with her former classmate Gary Pusey. Over the next year, Gary wooed Mary. The couple fell in love and became engaged. They were married at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in San Diego on October 4, 1958 and honeymooned throughout northern California.
The newlyweds briefly rented an apartment on Georgia Street before purchasing a two-bedroom house in early 1959 on Gayle Street in what is now the Redwood Village neighborhood of San Diego. Over the next four decades, Mary and Gary renovated the house extensively: converting the garage into a third bedroom, adding a spacious family room, and eventually building a backyard workshop. The couple cultivated a diverse assortment of trees and shrubs.
Mary gave up her job at the City Clerk’s office a couple of months before giving birth in 1960 to the first of four children, all boys, three of whom survived infancy. Mary truly enjoyed motherhood and was enthusiastically involved in many activities with all three of her sons as they grew up.
Once her three boys were in grade school, Mary began working for the San Diego City Schools in 1973. Over a 27 year career, she advanced from a part-time position as an administrative clerk at Gompers Junior High School to serving as registrar at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). Mary retired in 2000.
Shortly after Mary’s retirement, she and Gary purchased a much larger four-bedroom house with more land on Echo Drive in La Mesa. Over the ensuing decade, the couple embarked upon numerous renovations to turn their “retirement” home into their dream home. Here they cultivated an even more diverse assortment of trees, shrubs, and flowers.
Throughout her life, Mary was a devout Roman Catholic. For many years she sang alto in the choir of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in San Diego. In later years, Mary was a faithful parishioner at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in Lemon Grove.
Mary was a deeply engaged, longtime member of Recovery International (formerly Recovery, Inc.). She generously volunteered her time and energy to nearly every aspect of the organization. She frequently spent hours on the telephone counseling members in crisis. She led a weekly meeting at Rancho San Diego Library for many years. According to fellow members, Mary was “a treasurer like no other” and will be sorely missed.
Mary was an avid traveler, taking numerous trips over the years throughout the United States and Canada by train, plane, and automobile. She and Gary twice drove across the country to the east coast. Gary estimates that he and Mary together visited 37 states over the course of their 54 year marriage.
Mary enjoyed collecting miniatures (doll houses), reading, and baking. Christmas was her favorite holiday by far. Every year for decades, Mary happily baked and distributed large quantities of Scottish shortbread from a recipe that came over from Scotland with her great grandfather. From childhood she used to watch her grandmother make it each Christmas and she proudly carried on the family tradition.
Mary is survived by her beloved husband, Gary; three sons: Michael of Lakewood, Colorado; John (Laura Dermer) of Cos Cob, Connecticut; and Brian (Monica) of Lemon Grove; four grandchildren: Natalie Vimont (Isaac) of Arvada, Colorado; Benjamin of Bailey, Colorado; and George and Brianna of Lemon Grove; two sisters: Kathleen Jaworski of La Mesa and Elizabeth Anderson of San Diego; a brother, William O’Connor of Spring Valley; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; and her cherished canine companion, Misty.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, James A. O’Connor III; and her son, Mark Joseph.
The family welcomes memorial donations to the UCSD ALS Clinic (als.ucsd.edu) and to Recovery International (www.lowselfhelpsystems.org).
Visitation and Rosary will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 1, at Conrad Lemon Grove Mortuary. Funeral Mass and burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel with burial to follow. There will be a reception following.
Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.
Eternal rest grant unto Mary, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in Peace. Amen.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
II Timothy 4:7-8
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