Marion Catherine Renz

1917 - 2016

CHARLESTOWN - Marion Catherine Renz, of Charlestown, R.I., passed away peacefully at the Chestnut Cottage of the Elms surrounded by family on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, at the age of 99.

The oldest of eight children, she was born on March 31, 1917 in Worcester, Mass., to Dr. Joseph P. Mulhern, an orthopedic surgeon, and Winifred J. Kelley Mulhern. After graduating from the Ascension School, she went on to earn a B.A. from Regis College (1938) and an M.S. in Library Science from Simmons College (1939).

In 1941 she married the late Hilary E. Renz, whom she had met in Worcester during their college years. A resident of White Plains, N.Y., for nearly 30 years, she was the mother of seven children and matriarch to 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. In the 1980s Marion and her husband retired to the Berkshire Mountains (Massachusetts), living first in Lenox and later in Williamstown. Following the death of her cherished husband in 1998, she moved to Charlestown, R.I., where she lived at 118 West Beach Road.

Prior to marriage, Marion worked at the Medical Research Library of Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. In the 1970s she returned to work and directed the White Plains Hospital Medical Library for nearly a decade. In retirement she was a volunteer in the reference and research library of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown.

Marion was a long-time member of Our Lady of Sorrows parish in White Plains, N.Y., where she sang in the choir. A lover of mountains and hiking, in the 1960s she and her husband discovered the Adirondacks and established a second home in Keene Valley, N.Y. She played the piano throughout her life; was devoted to books, poetry, and letter writing; had a fondness for cats and stray animals; and later in life took great pleasure in the beaches and salt ponds of Rhode Island.

Marion will be lovingly remembered by five daughters, M. Mavin Howley (Mill Valley, Calif.), Rhodie A. Hume (Alexandria, Va.), Donna J. O'Rourke (Hartsdale, N.Y.), Loren M. Renz (New York, N.Y.), and Mary W. Smith (Bel Air, Md.); two sons, Hilary J. Renz (White Plains, N.Y.) and Norbert T. Renz (Charlotte, N.C.); and by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is also survived by two beloved sisters, Patricia M. Brown (Norwalk, Conn.), and J. Honor Tracy (Northampton, Mass.); and by her many nieces and nephews. She is pre-deceased by two brothers, Fr. Joseph P. Mulhern, O.P., and Thomas F. Mulhern; and by three sisters, Catherine M. Bianchi, Rosemary J. Deedy, and Winifred J. Reney.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 920 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y., on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. Arrangements are under the care of Beecher Flooks Funeral Home. A private interment will be held in Keene, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Regis College, 235 Wellesley St., Box 30, Weston, MA 02493.