Mary Ella McGovern

PORTLAND - Mary Ella McGovern, 91, of Warwick St. died peacefully on Wednesday, July, 23, 2014 at her home with her loving family by her side. Mary was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on September 2, 1922, the daughter of Dan and Mary Dallas Hall. She attended local schools and graduated from Central High School in Muskogee in the class of 1940. At the age of 18 Mary moved to Washington D.C. to start a job she obtained via mailed application. Mary worked as a Stenographer at Military Intelligence Service. Her office was the first to locate in the newly completed first wing of the Pentagon. On August 26, 1945 she married the love of her life James H. McGovern. Shortly after their marriage she and James moved to Maine where Mary's full time job was raising their ten children. In 1974 James enrolled Mary in a business class at the University of Maine Portland, Gorham. She went on to earn a Certificate degree in Secretarial Studies. She later went to work at Maine Medical Center as an Admission Clerk retiring in 1986. She was a long time communicant of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. She was an active member of the "Club," a woman's group of family and friends that started to meet monthly just after WWII and continued for over sixty years. In her spare time, Mary enjoyed sewing, knitting, embroidery and reading. After sixty wonderful years of marriage, Mary was predeceased by her husband James in 2005. She is survived by three daughters, Mary Sue Stonebreaker of Portland, Katie and her husband Peter Keniston of South Portland and Ann Marie and her husband James Boisvert of Scarborough; seven sons, James D. and his wife Bernadette McGovern of Greenbay, WI, John T. and his wife Jean McGovern of Portland, Michael and his wife Kathy McGovern of Portland, Philip F. McGovern of Portland, Joseph R. and his wife Rebecca of Stowe, Vt., Terrance H. and his wife Joellen McGovern of Scarborough and Stephen G. and his wife Mary McGovern of Wilbraham, MA., thirty three grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren along with many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, July 27, 2014 from 3:00 to 6:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway. Prayers will be recited on Monday, July 28, 2014 at 9:15am at the funeral home followed by a 10:00am Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Stevens Avenue, Portland, Maine. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Broadway, South Portland. Those who wish may make contributions in Mary's Memory to the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, 307 Congress St., Portland, Maine.Online condolences may be expressed below.