Nora Moran

MORAN Nora Moran, 100, of Bridgeport, passed on Monday, July 18, 2011. Wife of the late James Moran, Nora was born December 24, 1910, in Mahanagh, County Sligo, Ireland, to Matthew and Mary Sherlock. She came to the United States in the 1920s and spent the rest of her life in Bridgeport, where she married and raised three children. Nora enjoyed the company of many friends and relatives, along with the friends of her children. She loved hearing "the news of the day" from everyone she encountered and responded with an Irish lilt in her voice that she never lost. She was always a font of stories from generations past, about her home in Ireland as well as her adopted Bridgeport. She was a kind-hearted soul who was quick to compliment anyone on an accomplishment in his or her life, and she was a shoulder of sympathy for those in need. Her quick sense of humor was renowned throughout her extended family and circle of friends, and it never took a stranger long to become part of that circle. Throughout her life, Nora relied on the power and comfort of prayer for herself and others. Her faith was a pillar of her life and she freely offered prayers and blessings to anyone in need of a change of luck. It was not uncommon to walk in on Nora and find her deep in private prayer. She and her late husband were founding members of the Gaelic-American Club, located in Fairfield. In her youth, Nora played camogie, a form of Irish field hockey for women, in Seaside Park in Bridgeport. She also worked during World War II at the Warner factory in Bridgeport, where she was involved with the sewing of parachutes for American servicemen. She worked for many years at retail establishments in downtown Bridgeport and later at Fairfield University, where she enjoyed a daily interaction with the student body. Nora is survived by her son James Kevin Moran, of Bridgeport; her daughter Mary Kathleen Moran Gilmore, and her husband, John, of Stratford; her son John Francis Moran, and his wife, Michele, of Bridgeport; and her two grandsons, Anthony Moran and Ryan Moran, of Bridgeport. She is also survived by a sister, Marcella Sherlock, of County Sligo, Ireland, and several nieces and nephews in the United States, Ireland and England. She was predeceased by her sisters, Beatrice McCormack, Mary Falvey, Kathleen Jacklin, Rita Counihan, Lily Toolan and Christine Sherlock. Nora's family would like to thank the staff of Cambridge Manor of Fairfield for the care and attention they provided during her stay there. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, July 21, at the Church of the Assumption in Fairfield. Respects may be paid to the family prior to the Mass from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Larson's Funeral Home, 2496 North Avenue, Bridgeport. Burial will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Trumbull.