Mary Anne "Maureen" McDermott

Mary Anne "Maureen" McDermott, a native of Ireland who emigrated to the United States in 1963 and settled in Philadelphia, died peacefully in her sleep on October 1 at her home in Keystone Villa in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. She was 92.

Born on August 14, 1934, in Pollymount near Strokestown in County Roscommon, she was one of six children born to Mary Ann Brennan and Michael Rogers. She attended a rural Catholic school until the eighth grade, when she left home to work as a hotel maid at the nearby Strokestown Lakes.

She met her future husband, Alexander M. McDermott, at a dance in Scramogue. They were married on April 3, 1956, at St. Paul's Church on the River Liffey in Dublin, with two witnesses: her brother and best friend, Tom, and Alexander's sister, Mary Elizabeth "May" McDermott. The McDermotts were married for nearly 56 years until Alexander's death in March 2012.

The couple first lived in Ballyhubert with her husband's mother, Catherine "Kate" Grealy, after the death of his father, Bernard McDermott. Alexander built a bungalow on the family's small farm, where their first two children, Brian and Mary Patricia, were born.

The family emigrated to the United States in October 1963, arriving through New York Harbor with the sponsorship of Alexander's aunt, Lizzie McDermott. They settled in Philadelphia and raised their family on Lebanon Avenue in the Overbrook neighborhood, where they welcomed their third child, Michael.

Maureen - which means "Little Mary" in Irish Gaelic - worked for many years as a bartender in Upper Darby at The Shamrock Club and, later, at Travers' Irish House. After the pubs closed, she waited tables, including at Minella's Diner on the Main Line. She was always surrounded by fellow immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Greece, Egypt and other far-flung places, many of whom came to regard her as a second mother. On their visits home, they brought Maureen treasures from their native countries that she displayed throughout her home.

She was a devoted lifelong Catholic whose faith was a central part of her life. She was a member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Ephrata at the time of her passing. Maureen died on the feast day of her favorite saint, St. Thérèse, the Little Flower.

After Sunday Mass, she loved to watch a sports game, especially the Philadelphia Eagles. She was never happier than being surrounded by friends and loved ones, and she saw much of the world in order to stay close to her family. She often returned to Ireland and traveled throughout Europe and as far away as Asia and South America, with adventures to Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Germany, the Czech Republic, England and Trinidad and Tobago.

Here's to those who wish us well ...

Survivors include her three children, Capt. Brian J. McDermott, husband of Mary Teresa, of Scottsdale, Arizona; Mary Patricia Wenger, wife of M. Gary, of Lititz, Pennsylvania; Michael A. McDermott, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; five grandchildren, Yvonne M. Nordstrom, wife of Arthur, of Baltimore, Maryland; Jay Wenger, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), husband of Erika, of Lititz, Pennsylvania; Dr. Michael E. McDermott, of Sierra Vista, Arizona; Joseph B. McDermott, of Scottsdale, Arizona; and Alexandra McDermott, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Alison M. Wenger, of Tampa, Florida; Ethan S. Wenger, of Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Adeline P. Nordstrom, of Baltimore, Maryland. Other survivors include a sister, Lena O'Malley, of Birmingham, England; a brother, Michael "Mick" Rogers, husband of Kitty, of County Roscommon, Ireland; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Dominic Rogers, Marcella Rogers and Tom Rogers.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. October 9 at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church, 320 Church Avenue in Ephrata. The family will welcome friends at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery, 531 N. State Street in Ephrata.

Contributions in Maureen's memory can be made to Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Ephrata.