Mary Elaine Connerty

Mary Elaine Connerty ("Elaine," "Sissy," "Mum," "Nana," "Freebird") passed away peacefully in Belvedere, California on December 3rd, 2021, surrounded by family. They ask you not to mourn but to hold in your heart and celebrate a loving mother, grandmother, sister, loyal friend, proud Irish-American, comic mastermind, lifelong Democrat and fiercely independent soul. Elaine was born to John Thomas and Mary Carey Connerty on February 5, 1943 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her grandparents on both sides hailed from Ireland – Counties Cork, Cavan and Limerick. She spent her childhood in Arlington and North Weymouth, Massachusetts, where she attended Bicknell Junior High and Weymouth High School. After high school, Elaine was hired by The Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company. In 1963, she married her first husband, Thomas Campbell, with whom she had and raised her three children, James, Marianne and Steven. The couple lived initially in Provincetown over the Campbell family gift shop on Commercial Street, and subsequently moved to Brant Rock, Marshfield. Both Massachusetts locales remained close to Elaine's heart and she returned frequently over the years. Elaine and Tom moved to Clearwater Beach, Florida in 1972, where Elaine was involved with fundraising for local ballet, theater and opera companies. In 1978, Elaine moved back to Boston, eventually meeting and marrying her second husband, Charles Sisson. The couple moved to Milton, a suburb of Boston where Elaine pursued a career in real estate. As a real estate agent in Milton, Elaine sought to do away with the racially segregated redlining and steering policies which hindered the ongoing Civil Rights and desegregation movements in the area. Following her daughter Marianne and son James to the West Coast in 1995, Elaine quickly found a home in the Sunset district of San Francisco as well as a position with the Able Building Maintenance company, where she worked until her retirement in 2014. She loved living in San Francisco, exploring the city on foot and by public transport, taking advantage of the city's many cultural institutions. An aficionado of fine food and wine, she frequented not only the establishments in her immediate neighborhood, but also sought out the newest restaurants throughout the city, often being the first to secure reservations. After her retirement, Elaine volunteered with San Francisco Village, an organization dedicated to sharing resources to aging community members. Elaine had many interests and pursuits. She was deeply interested in and proud of her Irish heritage, conducting family research, securing her Irish citizenship and was proud to hold both US and Irish passports. Elaine loved museums, theater, podcasts, MSNBC, and travel, visiting Paris often and returning to the East Coast at every opportunity. Throughout her life, Elaine was unwavering and principled in her belief in social justice and her support for progressive causes. As a young mother, Elaine was involved in the National Organization for Women (NOW) soon after its founding in 1966, and she continued to support organizations that championed the rights of the underprivileged throughout her life. Those who knew her remember her excellent sense of humor, and the way she adored her family, taking enormous pride in the success and accomplishments of her children and grandchildren, and remaining close to her siblings and their families. She saw humor everywhere, and was never at a loss for a one-liner. She was the first to laugh at a good joke, including her own, and thought that the measure of a great comedian is not in their desire to make other people laugh at what they say, but rather in their desire to make laughter exist in the world — even if the joke is on themselves. Finally, Elaine was a lover of music, the kind of listener who found some crystal of meaning with regard to the "what's it all about" in music, and held onto that premise to the end. Her favorite artists included Carole King, Janis Ian, Bob Marley, Patsy Cline, Tim Hockenberry and Van Morrison (her favorite song of all time being his "Madame George"). Her grandson Jack once sent her Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again" — a song that spans little heartbreaks to existential cliffs, such as the sudden loss of a parent — she responded: "Yes. Fantastic Irishman. He understood a lot of things." Her family would apply the same to Elaine: Yes. Fantastic Irishwoman. Understood a lot of things. Elaine is survived by her children James Campbell (Adam Gavzer), Marianne Campbell Hockenberry, and Steven Campbell; former son-in-law Tim Hockenberry; grandchildren Daniel Campbell, Maxx Hockenberry, Jack Hockenberry, Brennan Campbell, and Lola Hockenberry, and great granddaughter Kinsley Campbell; brother Richard Connerty, sister-in-law Juanita Thorne Connerty, sister Denise Connerty Gee, and sister-in-law Jackie Connerty, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, her former husband Thomas Campbell, her brother Jack Connerty, and her brother-in-law Geoffrey Gee. Elaine will be interred at the Connerty family plot alongside her parents in Cambridge, Massachusetts at a later date. For those who would like to remember Elaine through a charitable contribution, donations in Elaine's memory may be made to San Francisco Village. https://www.sfvillage.org