Mary Frances Dean of Matamoras, Pa. died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, N.Y. She was 91.
She was born July 8, 1934 in Chelsea, Mass. the daughter of the late John Joseph Shea and the late Nora (O’Donoghue) Shea.
Mary married Robert Paul Dean on May 7, 1960, and they were married for 56 years prior to his passing on Jan. 18, 2017.
She worked as a Clerk for the Department Of Industrial Accidents in Boston, Mass.
Mary was a member of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Matamoras, PA.
Mary grew up in Everett, Mass. and graduated from St. Rose High School in Chelsea. She was a long-time employee of John Hancock before working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She loved her family, which included many relatives in the Boston area and Ireland.
A highlight of her life was her time on Cape Cod with her children. She was PTA President at the Webster Elementary School, and in her youth her hobbies included square dancing and sewing. In 2001, she moved to The Villages in Florida with her husband Bob. There she enjoyed golf, bocce, and frequent travel. She was an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at St. Timothy’s Church in The Villages. Mary moved to Matamoras in 2017, living in the Westfall Senior Apartments and later at the Delaware Valley Personal Care Center, where she had many friends. Her family wishes to thank the staff at DV for their loving dedication to Mary’s care.
Surviving are son Francis “Frank” Dean and his wife Margaret “Megan” Seibel of Menlo Park, Calif. daughter Kerry Dean Carso and her husband Brian F. Carso, Jr. of Matamoras, Pa.; Sister Theresa Michaud and her husband Kenneth of Wilmington, Mass.; grandchildren Jackson Dean, Madeline Dean, Owen Carso and Nathaniel Carso; sister-in-law, Martha Patz and her husband George of Meredith, N.H.; sister-in-law Mary Mitcheson of Melbourne, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
Mary was predeceased by her two brothers: James Shea and John Edward Shea. She was also predeceased by her grandson, Teddy Dean Carso. She was further predeceased by her brother-in-law, Frederick Dean and his wife Loraine; brother-in-law, William Mitcheson; sister-in-law, Marjorie Trujillo and her husband Juan “Smoky”; and sister-in-law, Patricia Ross and her husband David.
There will be no visitation.
A memorial mass of Christian Burial will take place in the spring, followed by a cremains burial at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Mass.
Memorial contributions may be made to Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health at https://lpfch.org/donate/.
Arrangements by Gray-Parker Funeral Home, 100 E. Main St., Port Jervis, N.Y. 12771 845.856.5191 www.grayparkerfuneralhome.com.