Marilyn Burke O'Rourke

Marilyn Burke O'Rourke
Marilyn Burke O'Rourke, a long-time resident of New Canaan, died peacefully at her home in Brookline, Mass., on August 8 after a short illness. She was 89.
She and her husband, Charlie moved to New Canaan in 1959, where they raised five sons.
Mal was born and grew up in Dedham, Mass. She graduated from Regis College in 1952 with a degree in library science and worked as a librarian at the Massachusetts State House before her marriage in 1957.
During her 56 years in New Canaan, she was an active volunteer, serving as a den mother and in numerous volunteer roles at St. Aloysius School. She later served as both the school librarian and as a reading tutor at St. Aloysius, jobs she cherished. Later, she was able to pursue her love of history as the librarian for The New Canaan Historical Society, a position she held for more than a decade. Mal loved giving tours of the Historical Society's costume museum and sharing her wealth of knowledge about New Canaan history with visitors.
She was an active member of St. Aloysius and St. Thomas More parishes.
Mal was known for her sense of humor and kindness, and for her zealous devotion to the Boston Red Sox and her family. She loved to read, a gift she passed on to all of her children and she was always willing to talk about and explore history and weather, the more local, the better.
She was married for 61 years and was predeceased by her husband Charlie in April, 2019, and her beloved daughter-in-law, Amy Morrissey-O'Rourke, in December, 2019.
She is survived by her son Matthew and her beloved grandsons, Gus and Gabriel, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., her son Chris, also of Jamaica Plain, Mass., sons John and Tim of Roslindale, Mass., and son Stephen of New York City. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Mal's name to the Regis College Scholarship Fund, Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations, 235 Wellesley St., Box 30, Weston, MA 02493 or to The New Canaan Historical Society, 13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840. Online guestbook at gfdoherty.com. Arrangements by George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, Dedham, MA.