Eulogy:

Well, Aunt Margaret, I'm wearing a dress AND pantyhose  I still can't believe how she put those on every day!

Hi Everyone.  I know that Aunt Margaret would have loved to have seen us all together in one place.  We all meant so much to her, as she did to us.

Aunt Margaret has always been a role model to me.  I always thought of her as a modern woman, yet traditional in many ways.

She was a professional working woman in her time which wasn't as common as it is today.  She was elegant and sophisticated in my young eyes. She'd visit art museums, listen to classical music, read poetry, and travel to Florida every year with Uncle Frank. 

I remember our dinners at their apartment. Remember the formal place settings and how we couldn't help her in the kitchen?  She wore her apron, but she never seemed to have soiled it.  My sisters and I wore nice dresses and our Mary Jane shoes. We knew it was going to be a classy visit with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Frank.   And it always was.  Her apartment was always impeccable... the oriental rugs... the white curtains... the matching towels and soaps in the bathroom.

Aunt Margaret's meals were always delicious. Everything was ready on time and we all had our special places at the table. I remember there were always mashed potatoes and carrots.  She loved carrots!  Cloth napkins and beautiful tablecloths. And the desserts!  Uncle Frank made a mean ice cream soda!

Later, when we visited as adults, while all those things were the same, we ran into  a few little quirks. There were still hors d'oeuvres placed on the coffee table. The meals weren't elaborate, but even a sandwich would never be served on a paper plate. There would always be Entenmanns's and ice cream for dessert. 

Even after driving from Massachusetts to visit her many times, she'd always give Kathy and me directions on how get to her apartment and if we veered from those directions, she would tell us that we shouldn't have used the GPS - we should have listened to her.  She was usually right.

And the heat! She never opened windows or turned on the AC!! Haven't we all acquired a taste for melted, chocolate because her apartment was always so hot?  But there was always ginger ale to cool us off...with ice of course.

As formal as everything was, she was one of the warmest people I ever knew.  She was always supportive and truly interested in what we were doing and where we were going.    She loved getting postcards from everyone and followed our itineraries when we went on trips so she would know where we were all the time.  

She had a great sense of humor.  She wasn't a jokester, but when you least expected it she would come out with something witty and she would laugh along with us. She was a kind lady... warm and considerate. Although a very private person, she made people feel comfortable and was truly interested to learn about new people she met. 

We all know how Aunt Margaret loved the ocean.  When Arthur and I would take her out for rides, she would always ask to drive by the beach.  She would roll down the window and take in the fresh air.  She would want to know exactly where she was and had me write it down for her so she could share with her friends at Atria.  Maybe it reminded her of summer vacations in Florida with Uncle Frank.

Aunt Margaret always made us feel loved and important and she was always very supportive of everything that her family did. She showed us that we were important enough to use her formal table settings at Sunday dinners....That we were important enough for her to ask where we were traveling and what we were up to....That we were important enough to give us directions that would keep us safe.... That we were important enough to have chocolate and goodies each time we visited.... And WE thought she was important enough too.

I was able to spend many hours with Aunt Margaret over the past year and a half.  What a precious gift. We all know it took an army to convince her to move to Fairhaven! We talked about everything. What she had done that particular day, the weather and how the seasons were changing, Downton Abby, news and just a little politics. We talked about what the family was up to... who was traveling where...who called... who wrote her a letter.. who was coming to visit. She was truly interested in everyone's life. She'd smile while telling me little memories of years past.  She'd talk about how difficult it was to move from NY, but also how happy she was living near us.  We were able to spend holidays and celebrate her birthday with her.  I think we all slept better knowing that she was safe and happy in an apartment just like the one in Brooklyn.  We may not have a Buckley's, but we had each other.

I'd like to end by sharing one memory I know we all have. Whenever we would leave her Brooklyn apartment, I think we all left the same way. Aunt Margaret would walk us to the door... we'd walk down that long hallway to the elevator.. we'd turn around to see her standing at her doorway... One more time Aunt Margaret.....We Love you!


Aunt Margaret was a one of a kind lady.  I don't think I ever saw her in a bad mood.  She was always so positive.  There are many memories that I remember of her, but some that stick out in my mind are:  as a child, she never liked my hair parted in the middle, so every time we visited her, she would always brush my hair back and clip it.  She loved seeing the sky when she visited us.  She said that she never saw so many clouds with the blue sky, as she couldn't see much but buildings from her porch balcony in New York.  
Aunt Margaret was one fashionable lady too.  She always dressed up in a skirt everyday even if she had no where to go!  She loved scarfs and hats, and was always dressed to the nines!  
I am really going to miss her.  She loved every single one of us and was such the hostess when anyone came to see her.  
Rest in Peace, Aunt Margaret.  We love you,

When I think of Aunt Margaret, I think of the many wonderful trips Maureen and I took to visit with her.  Aunt Margaret always had a Coke waiting for me when we arrived.  She would ask me if I would like a little rum to go with it.  I remember the nuts, olives, pickles, and crackers waiting for us on her coffee table and the great meals she prepared, especially her delicious leg of lamb dinner.  Aunt Margaret was always interested in how our children were and she took a special interest in our daughter Michelle's dancing career.   She always said that she thought Michelle looked like Anne Hathaway and that our son Matthew looked like Tyrone Power.  Matthew and I always wondered who Tyrone Power was.

Aunt Margaret was the perfect hostess and she insisted that we stay seated while she served dinner.  She would not let anyone help clear the dishes off the table nor would she let us in the kitchen. 

Aunt Margaret always respected me and the fact that I had retired from serving the Army.  She would also marvel every time we visited about how I could navigate through the New York City subway and bus routes since that is the way we normally traveled while there.  She would always ask which subway train we were taking to see if I knew what I was doing.  She would laugh and say, Oh well, it looks like you'll find your way around the city just fine.

Aunt Margaret was a wonderful woman and I miss her enormously.

Memories of Margaret will always have a special place in my heart.  She was a very dignified lady who appreciated correctness, but never at the cost of loving and caring about her family and friends.  Visiting her last spring in New York was such a special time.  I admired when she walked out of her bedroom each morning. Even at the age of 94, she was always washed and cleaned and immaculately dressed.  No sweats and jeans for this lady; when she greeted the day she was dressed in stockings, nice leather shoes, a perfectly fitted Alfred Dunner skirt, a neatly pressed blouse, usually with a sweater vest over it for warmth and a jaunty little scarf tied around her neck for style.  But don't let this sense of style lead to the belief that Margaret cared more about appearances than substance.  Quite the opposite. She always had a true and authentic interest in each of our lives.  If I talked to her about my painting, she responded as if I were the next Van Gogh!  If we talked about travel, her sincere interest was as if she had been there with you.  When we talked about family, she took great pleasure and joy in each little event, celebrating our successes as if they were her own. And up to the end of her life, she never lost the bright and skillful mind that she honed and developed from her many years of working on Wall Street.  We will miss this wonderful woman in our lives but the memories we have of her will be treasured in our hearts forever.  Rest in peace, dear Margaret, as you surely do.

Aunt Margaret. Our family's matriarch. As Martin Mooney so eloquently said after her funeral mass, "She was the last of the greatest generation in our family". I was named for her and my grandmother, as Margaret is my middle name. As a little girl, I would marvel at her "correctness"; her aprons, her tablecloths, vegetable juice in small glasses placed on a plate as an appetizer before dinner. Our visits would always end with a photograph taken of Aunt Margaret with my three sisters and me. She taught me little things; like the silver tea set she gave me had to have the handles facing the right ("if the pourer is right-handed to the right, left-handed, to the left"). She taught me to appreciate the finer things. "Wear good jewelry", she said once to me,  "appreciate it!" Aunt Margaret would always know exactly when to mail my birthday card so it would arrive ON MY BIRTHDAY. She would sign it simply, "Love, Aunt Margaret". Stickers would often be placed on the back of the envelope. I have so many memories, but too many to list. Aunt Margaret, I know you are in the arms of God, together with Grandma, Grandpa, Dad and Uncle Frank. You added so much grace to our family, and we were blessed by having you in it. Rest in Peace.

I have so many loving memories of Aunt Margaret from the little boy in her parents Brooklyn sweet shop to her love of treating us to Sunday brunch at  Buckley's in Brooklyn.  I always felt special with her.  She will have a special place in my heart forever.

Aunt Margaret welcomed me into the family immediately. She was sweet, kind, and loved her family with everything she had. She got to meet our daughter, Arielle, last year. The first thing she said with a huge smile on her face was "Oh! She has Mary Jane shoes." I am very glad that she got to meet her great niece. That will always be a great memory to look back on. We love you Aunt Margaret. Rest in peace.

Margaret was such a thoughtful, interesting, kind, and loving woman. She cared and loved her family unconditionally. Margaret loved following her family on their trips and looked forward to receiving post cards. It was so special that I could call her my sister-in-law. I will miss her, but have wonderful memories of our love of each other. Rest well.

Aunt Margaret was a kind and generous woman who loved her family fiercely and whole-heartedly. She was always ready to greet her visitors with snacks wrapped in Saran-wrap to keep them fresh, and candies readily available to send them off with. I'll never forget her love of receiving postcards and pictures. She loved to stay updated on family trips and events. 
Aunt Margaret will always be a special woman to me. She was a big supporter of my career and always wanted to hear the latest roles I would be playing. She used to give me newspaper clippings of the ballet companies in NYC, and ballet related gifts as well. I always appreciated the effort she made to write a simple birthday card, just to let you know she was thinking of you. 
Aunt Margaret was a wonderful lady whom I'll always respect, admire, and think of fondly.  I'll always miss and love her dearly.

OBITUARY

Margaret L. Mooney

January 29, 1922 – October 28, 2017

Waring Sullivan Fairlawn Funeral and Cremation Service

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services