MARY IRENE LANIGAN

1926 - 2019

LANIGAN, Mary Irene Beloved Aunt, Teacher, and Friend Age 93, died peacefully on September 9, 2019, in Oakland, CA. A beloved aunt, teacher, and friend, she was born February 6, 1926 in Providence, RI, to Irene Veronica (Heaney) Lanigan and Joseph Anthony Lanigan. A longtime resident of Newton Highlands, MA, Lanigan taught literature at Newton North High School for 42 years. She served as Head of the Department of English there for 30 of those years, a job she considered the best in the world. Her work was founded on her belief that "all of us have the potential to grow and realize who we are and what we can be." Colleagues described her as dedicated, generous and smart, and respected her "as a human being, as a teacher and as a leader." She was committed to supporting her colleagues, especially the members of her department, and rejoiced in seeing them flourish as educators. Lanigan received the Meserve Award for excellence in teaching in 1980. Growing up, Lanigan lived in Scarsdale, NY, and Manchester, NH, before moving to Newton. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Newton Center. She was a 1948 graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and her years at Trinity held a special place in her heart. She received a Master's degree in literature from Boston University, where she also took courses in education. After finishing her teacher training at Newton High School (as it was then called), she was hired on as a member of the teaching staff, and stayed there for the remainder of her career. In addition to her work as a high school administrator and teacher, Lanigan worked with the Educational Testing Service for many years, including serving as Chief Reader of the College Board essay exam. After retiring from Newton North in 1991, Lanigan remained very active, continuing to work with the Educational Testing Service; supervising student teachers through the graduate programs of Brandeis and Harvard universities; serving as scribe for Trinity's Class of '48; and leading a lively monthly short story discussion group at the Newton Free Library. She was a member of the parish of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Chestnut Hill, MA, and was also involved with the Voice of the Faithful's Protecting Our Children working group. In 2011, she relocated to the Bay Area to be closer to family. Lanigan was a deeply loyal and generous friend. She loved poetry, theater and travel, and was devoted to her Wheaten terriers. She enjoyed sharing her interests with others, especially her nieces and nephew. She will be lovingly remembered by her sister-in-law, Mary-Delia Lanigan of Berkeley, CA; her nieces, Maire of Oakland, CA; Cathleen Doucette (Armand) of Newburyport, MA; and Julia (Catherine Gallivan) of Watertown, MA; and nephew, John-David (Senobar) of Berkeley, CA. She is predeceased by her parents and her brother, Joseph F. Lanigan of Berkeley, CA. Memorial Services for Mary Irene Lanigan will be held in California and Massachusetts in November.

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