Margaret Mary Sheahan

Margaret Mary Sheahan passed away peacefully on April 1, 2023, at Meadowood after living with Alzheimer's disease for 13 years.
Maggie, born to the late Margaret and Malachi Sheahan on March 13, 1948, was raised in The Bronx along with her two sisters and brother. She graduated from the Cardinal Spellman High School and Niagara University. After graduation, Maggie tried almost every form of nursing --- head nurse in a San Francisco hospital, school nurse at a Catholic grammar school on Long Island, and public health nurse in Westchester County, New York.
Maggie met Gene McCarthy and they were married one year later at St. Ignatius Martyr Church in Long Beach, Long Island on October 16, 1982. They later welcomed the arrival of two remarkable daughters, Katie and Eileen. If you asked Maggie what her most important job was, it was as Mom. She nurtured and encouraged them, rejoicing in their successes and lending a shoulder whenever needed.
Maggie was an avid beach lover and voracious reader, attempting each summer to quit her job in May to read her latest book in the sun by day and walking the beach between the jetties with the sea gulls in the late afternoon. She introduced her daughters to her love of theater and old movies by playing Les Miserables on long car trips and by singing East Side West Side with her sisters at every family gathering. She made and kept friends no matter where she went: from the line at the supermarket and neighbors near and far.
Maggie was a key part of the clinical team, and signatory to the clinical dossier, that developed the very first monoclonal antibody used therapeutically to treat disease with subsequent publication in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. The technology is now used to treat a wide variety of diseases benefitting millions of patients around the world.
Maggie is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Malachi. She is survived by her loving family, including husband Gene, daughters Katie and Eileen, sisters Kate and Connie, and many dear in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Maggie's name to the Cardinal Spellman High School Scholarship Fund, the Niagara University Nursing Program Service Projects, or the Alzheimer's Association (Delaware Valley Chapter).
Family and friends are invited to the celebrate her life on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 2:00-4:00 PM and 7:00-9:00 PM at the Boyd Horrox Givnish Funeral Home, 200 W Germantown Pike, Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Prior to Mass on April 22, 2023, the family will greet friends at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church at 196 North Trooper Road, Trooper, PA. Words of Remembrance for Maggie will begin promptly at 9:30 AM, followed at 10:00 AM by the Mass of the Resurrection.