Mary E. Horgan

Mary Ellen (Burgess) Horgan passed away on July 1, 2023 following a battle with lung cancer.  She was born on March 7, 1940, in Salem, MA. Daughter of parents Elizabeth (Ball) Burgess and William Burgess. Loving wife to the late Phil (Philip) Horgan Jr.  They were married 57 years before Phil passed away in February 2015.  She is survived by her beloved sisters Barbara (Burgess) Sanborn and Linda (Burgess) Farrell, and beloved brothers Richard Burgess and late Billy (William) Burgess. She is survived by her loving daughter Bonnie (Horgan) Morin and her husband John of Middleton MA and the late Kathleen (Horgan) Terry and her husband Keith of Belchertown MA and son Sean Horgan & his wife Trish of Merrimac MA.  She had 9 grandchildren.  Granddaughters Grace & AJ Terry of Belchertown, Riley & Sydney Morin of Middleton, and Neila Horgan of Merrimac MA along with Grandsons Gage Morin of Middleton, Calvin Terry of Belchertown, and Micah & Bryson Horgan of Merrimac MA.   Nieces and nephews include; Maryellen (Varney) Prime, Eddie, Wynn, & Scott Varney (Children of the late "Sis" (Martha) & Charlie Varney of Saugus MA), Shannon (McMahon) Crompton (Daughter of Trish (Horgan) Harty and prior spouse Mike McMahon and the late John Harty) along with Lori (Montgomery), Amy (Williams), John & Lisa Sanborn (children of Barbara & the late Richard Sanborn), Jason, Tracy & Patrick (Pat) Farrell (children of Linda & Glenn Farrell), Mathew (Mat) & Melissa Burgess (children of the late Marty (Martha) Burgess and Richard (Dickie) Burgess) and Mike, Marcus & Eva Burgess (children of the late William (Billy) Burgess and his wife Marlese).

Mary enjoyed telling stories of when she grew up.  She reflected on repairing cars with her brother Billy who somehow managed to have extra parts every time he was finished with the repair.  She enjoyed watching the Middleton Memorial Day Parade from the porch of Lois Lane Insurance building which was once the home of her Aunt Mamie.  She was proud of her American Indian heritage.  

Her family was her sole focus, and she worried over and took care of them until the end, sometimes to the exclusion of her own needs. Mary had a sense of humor and believed in being able to laugh at yourself first. She valued loyalty, honesty, and authenticity. She enjoyed reading, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, playing canasta & Triomino's with her siblings & watching Country-Western movies on TV.   She loved country music, favoring Patsy Cline and Irish music as well. She enjoyed dancing with her husband Phil.  Before their children were born, they were members of Century Club and Scarlet Squares, both of Wakefield MA enjoying Western dance.  Together they attended the College of Do Si Dos and Allemande finishing with a diploma of Bachelor of Square Dancing in April 1968.  As their children got older, Mary & Phil enjoyed going on cruises with Phil's sister "Sis" (Martha) and her husband Charlie Varney of Saugus MA.  Mary & Phil also enjoyed a couple trips to Ireland.

Mary had a great sense of humor and a beautiful laugh!  Family members would joke about "not crossing her" as they didn’t want to be on her 'bad' side.  Joking that Mary didn’t get mad, she got even.   She wouldn’t be afraid to show her anger when defending someone she cared about.  Her kids would joke about Mary's strict household rules, but they'll be the first to admit they wouldn’t change a thing.  She taught them a strong work ethic and commitment.  She'd remind you of the circumstances of not doing the required chores.  Sean would notoriously leave clean & dirty laundry thrown about his room for days.  He would come home on the school bus, to find all his laundry thrown out his bedroom window with his underwear hanging off the rooftop.  It took a couple of times for that to happen before he "got the message".  And no one celebrated the 1st day of school like Mary did.  She would be on the front lawn in her pajamas lighting off fireworks when the bus came by for pick up.  Summers were enjoyed simply with campfires, cookouts, swimming & raising chickens.  She enjoyed summer nights with Nancy & Marty Walsh, her next-door neighbors who's children were the same age (Wendy, Martin, Lance, Aaron, and later Karolina, Logan & Miles.  Marty would bring home 'lobstah' and buckets of steamers for all to enjoy.  The kids would also play "restaurant" making Mary, Phil, Nancy & Marty dinner consisting of English muffin pizzas.  

Mary was a member of Middleton Needlecrafter's & historical society with her sister Barbara whom she 'hung out with' almost on a daily basis.  They'd joke about shopping at the "swap shop" and always adding to their "to do" list.  She also frequented the Essex Co-op in Topsfield.  She absolutely loved watching football on TV and calling her siblings during half time to "discuss" the calls and penalties. 

Mary enjoyed cooking & baking.  She especially enjoyed family gatherings where she'd make a delicious dessert like her strawberry shortcake, fruit trifle, or chocolate chip cookies.  

Bonnie will be the first to tell you nothing beat "Mum's" turkey and bread stuffing.  There's no doubt everything she did was filled with love.  

Mary will be desperately missed by all those that she’s left behind.  She was one of a kind and to be loved by her was to be truly blessed.

Relatives and friends ae invited to her wake on Friday July 7, 2023, at Mackey Funeral Home, 128 S. Main St. (Rt. 114), Middleton from 4-7pm followed by a collation at Middleton American Legion on River St. 7-10pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.