Mary Theresa Kearns (née Gillespie)

Mary T. Kearns, also known as ‘Mimi’ to her grandchildren and ‘Dottie’ to relatives and close friends, passed away peacefully on July 28, 2021, in Plymouth, MA. She was attended by close family members who were providing her with love and support after a recent illness.

Mary lived her life with grace and kindness, guided by a quick wit. She was the beloved wife of Leo J. Kearns for more than 66 years, the mother of five children, grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to one. She thrived in the company of her family and loved being with her children and grandchildren.

Mary was born in Watertown, MA on September 26, 1931 and grew up and attended school in Dorchester, MA. After graduating high school, she took a sales job at Filene’s department store at Downtown Crossing in Boston. Following that she worked as a secretary at Simon Saw and Steel in South Boston until she married Leo in 1955. The newlyweds bought a house in South Weymouth, MA and set about raising a family.

Mary prided herself on creating a home for her family that included plenty of fresh-baked desserts and a life full of color. During the summers she oversaw her children’s comings and goings at the family’s cottage in Manomet, MA.

Mary was a gregarious woman who always enjoyed meeting new people and made friends easily. Among Mary’s many talents was an uncanny ability to find common ground with strangers (she always called these “coincidences”) and she always exhibited a lively curiosity about the lives of people she met from all walks of life. She endeared herself to all who knew her with an impish sense of humor and a sharp mind that never forgot a birthday, a relationship or a relevant fact.

When faced with adversity, Mary was brave and resolute. During a long-term illness of their third eldest child, she and Leo devoted their time and resources without reservation to the care of Francis Thomas Kearns, who pre-deceased Mary in 1990. Her empathy for his afflictions and loving devotion to providing him with the best of care was a lesson in the power of self-sacrifice to all who knew her.

In addition to her husband Leo of Plymouth, MA, Mary is survived by her daughter Denise Lee Kearns and husband Frederick Witsell of Pawling, NY; and her sons, Joseph Timothy Kearns and wife Linda Krewduk Kearns, Hanover, MA; John Pierre Kearns, Manomet, MA; and Patrick Kearns and wife Dawn Sanseverino-Kearns, E. Bridgewater, MA. She was the proud grandmother of Haley Dolan Witsell, Haverhill, MA; Katharine Towne Witsell, Pawling, NY; Meaghen Kearns O’Flaherty, Abington, MA; Amy Lynn Kearns, Oregon; Shannen Marie Kearns, E. Bridgewater, MA; Julie Kearns Clement and husband William Clement, Oregon; and Cooper James Kearns and Connor Patrick Kearns, E. Bridgewater, MA; and proud great-grandmother of Wesley Clement.

Private services for Mary will be held at 10:30am at Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home, 135 Union St, Rockland, MA on Monday, August 2, to be followed by a private burial at Holy Family Cemetery in Rockland.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Mary’s name to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.