Gertrude Conroy

Portland- Gertrude L. Conroy, 90, formerly of the Mitchell Road in South Portland, died peacefully at her home at 75 State Street on Thursday, April 16, 2015. Gertrude was born in Portland, Maine on February 12, 1925 the daughter of the late Philip E. and Gertrude Peterson LaRou. She attended St. Josephs Grammar School and graduated from Cathedral High School in the class of 1943. She was a communicant of Holy Cross Church and a member of Sodality. She met and married Robert H. Conroy. They made their home and raised their family in South Portland. Gertrude worked most of her life in retail including Rines Brothers and Shoppers Mart. She worked for 14 years as an Avon Rep. before retiring. After retirement she found great joy in her volunteer work at Mercy Hospital, a period the spanned more than 20 years and over 30 thousand hours of volunteering, an accomplishment which earned her the Scanlon Award. In her spare time she loved knitting blankets and more for all of her family and friends, even as recent as last week she donated some of her crocheted blankets to the hospital and the animal shelter. Gertrude will always be remembered as a kind and gentle person who loved life to the fullest. Gertrude was predeceased by her husband Robert H. Conroy in October of 1999. She is survived by two daughters Peggy and her husband Edward Seymourian of South Portland and Pat and her husband Arthur Gaudreau of Bowdoinham; three sons Michael and his wife Sandra Conroy of Portland, Kevin and his wife Julie Conroy of New Hampshire and Dennis and his wife Inson Conroy of Indianna; one sister Margaret Rutter of Portland; one brother Joseph E. and his wife Linda LaRou of New York; 13 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, April 22. 2015 from 4:00 to 7:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway. Prayers will be recited at the funeral home on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 10:15am followed by an 11:00am Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Church, 150 Cottage Road, South Portland. Burial will be private in Calvary Cemetery. Online condolences may be expressed at www.ctcrawford.com Those who wish may make contributions in Gertrudes memory to: Mercy Hospital Oncology or the charity of ones choice