Mary Glynn

Mary Glynn (née Burke), 88, passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side on Sunday, November 2, 2025, in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

Mary is reunited in passing with her beloved husband of 58 years, Niall Desmond Glynn; her parents, John and Catherine Burke; her sister Elizabeth (Betty) Gilroy; and her brothers, Sean and Ned Burke.

Born on May 20, 1937, in Kilfilem, County Kerry, Ireland, Mary was the eldest of seven children. As she told it, she was faster and bested the lads in soccer.

At 18, she left for England to attend nursing school. After earning her degree, she worked in Dublin at a tuberculosis hospital before moving to New York City, where she joined the staff at Lenox Hill Hospital.

She caught Niall's eye at an Irish dance in NYC. He asked her to dance. They married two years later in 1963.

After welcoming three children, they settled in Glen Cove, New York, where Mary worked as a private nurse at Glen Cove Hospital. In addition to raising her family, she was an active volunteer at St. Patrick's Church. Mary and Niall shared a love of gardening, and spending countless hours together making their home beautiful inside and out. They also valued time with their extended family, neighbors, and many friends.

In 1999, Mary and Niall retired to Surfside Beach, South Carolina, where they enjoyed golf, walks on the beach, gardening, volunteering, and an active social life with their wonderful circle of friends and neighbors. They also took time to travel, exploring places they had long dreamed of visiting-from Hawaii to Vancouver, Yellowstone to Maine.

Mary enjoyed life's simple pleasures: solving every Dateline mystery, cups of tea with chocolate chip muffins, a small glass of wine at 5pm sharp, and maintaining relationships with her close circle of friends. A constant source of amusement for Mary and Niall was just outside their sliding screen door, providing a view of a garden they built. Filled with plants, flowers, bird feeders, and bird baths, they delighted in the daily skirmish between song birds, crows and squirrels for bird food, bread and peanuts.

Above all, Mary loved her husband and family with her whole heart. She will be remembered for her humor, kindness, warmth, and devotion, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Laura Fuerst (Chuck) of Ellenboro, NC, Sean Glynn of Austin, TX, and Christine Glynn (Dave Cavanaugh) of Isle of Palms, SC; her grandsons, Jack Desmond Fuerst of Huntington, NY, Nick Cavanaugh (Romana) of Virginia Beach, VA, Luke Cavanaugh (dec), and Dirk Cavanaugh of Mount Pleasant, SC; her brothers, Michael (Colleen) Burke of Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, Redmond (Helen) Burke of Raleigh, NC, and Maurice (Madeleine) Burke of Kilfilem, Co. Kerry, Ireland; along with many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation for the kindness, care, and compassion shown to them by everyone who has reached out. A special thank you to the dedicated teams at Synergy HomeCare and Amedisys Hospice Care.

Funeral services will be private. Those who knew Mary are invited to remember her in their own way—perhaps by sharing a cup of tea with someone they love, tending a garden, or taking a walk by the ocean.