In Memoriam

Mary Teresa Leary, 94

December 31, 1927 – August 28, 2022

COOPERSTOWN – Mary Teresa Leary, 94, resident of Monroe County, was taken by the Lord on Sunday, August 28, 2022, in Rochester.

Mary was born on December 31, 1927, in Niagara Falls to Joseph David and Agnes Gertrude Maher.

Mary graduated from Nazareth College of Rochester with a nursing degree and worked as a nurse. She married Dr. Herbert J. Leary in Lyons Falls in 1952, and after a series of moves, eventually settled in Poughkeepsie to raise one daughter and four sons. Later the couple moved to Cooperstown after building a home on Otsego Lake. Following her husband’s passing in 2007, Mary came to reside at The Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home in Cooperstown, a place she truly enjoyed and appreciated.

Mary was a long-time member of St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown and active in charity work, especially the American Cancer Society, Fenimore Art Museum, Farmers’ Museum, Women’s Club, Senior Bridge Group and the Cooperstown Food Pantry.

Mary is missed by her daughter, Ellen M. Leary Coccoma and son-in-law Michael Coccoma, along with their children Nicholas, Caitrin (and her son Evan) and Peter; her son John P. Leary and daughter-in-law Pat, along with their children Jeffrey, Emily and Kristine; her son Brian J. Leary and daughter-in-law, Raquel, along with their daughters Meghan (and her son Leo), Bridget (and her daughters Ellia and Cassia) and Bernadette; her son James P. Leary and daughter-in-law, Jane, along with their children Jacqueline and Michael; her son, Dennis M. Leary and daughter-in-law, Kelly, along with their children, Ryan and Nicole; and her sister, Catherine A. Maher, as well as her beloved nieces and nephews and many friends.

In addition to her husband, Mary was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Agnes Maher and her sister, Elizabeth Virgil.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 8, 2022, at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown, with Fr. Michael Cambi, pastor officiating. Interment will follow in Lakeview Cemetery, Richfield Springs.

Contributions may be made in Mary’s name to the Cooperstown Food Pantry, 25 Church Street, Cooperstown, NY  13326 http://cooperstownfoodpantry.org. If you would like to send condolences to the family, please visit www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com and send an email that will be forwarded to the family. If you would like to send flowers, please contact Mohican Flowers at (607) 547-8822 or A Rose Is A Rose at (607) 264-3100.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.