Mary A. Vessey

Portland - Mary A. Vessey, 81, of Portland died peacefully on Friday, November 27, 2021 at St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Mary was born in Portland, Maine on September 24, 1940 the daughter of the late John Henry and Isabel M. (Cown) O'Malley. She graduated from Cathedral High School in the class of 1958. On November 9, 1982 she married Richard E. Vessey at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. Mary spent most of her working career as an Investigator for the New England Telephone Company, retiring in 1992 after more than 30 years of service. Unable to remain idle in retirement, Mary went back to work in the deli of Shaw's Supermarket working for another 15 years until 2015. She was never one to sit still and always wanted to be on the go. Mary enjoyed knitting, doing word search puzzles, and going out to eat with family and friends. She was an active member of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for many years and most recently a communicant of St. Pius X Catholic Church where she served as a Eucharistic Minister and was involved in the Daughters of Isabella. She also enjoyed many years of volunteering at Lyseth School. Mary was predeceased by a daughter, Paula Fitzsimmons; a sister, Margaret Barber; and two brothers, John Henry Jr. and Robert O'Malley. She is survived by her husband, Richard Vessey of Portland; two sons, Michael Hamrick of Illinois, Richard E. Vessey and his wife Erin Gilligan of Portland; a sister, Alice O'Malley of Portland; five grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Prayers will be recited at the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, at 10:15am on Friday, December 3, 2021 followed by an 11:00am Mass of Christian Burial at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 492 Ocean Ave., Portland, ME. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Broadway, South Portland. To view Mary's memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com Those who wish may make contributions in Mary's memory to may do so at Alzheimer's Association, 383 US Route One #2C, Scarborough, ME 04074.