Maureen Mannix

Maureen Mannix, of Pinehurst, passed away peacefully, at 78, on Sunday, May 29, 2022, after a brief battle with cancer. Her beloved family wants the world to know what an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend she was to everyone blessed to know her. To know her was to love her. She was widely known for her infectious smile, kind words and supportive nature.

She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Teresa and Charles O'Connor, and was the youngest of three sisters. She was proud to have grown up in Brooklyn (who from Brooklyn isn't?) and loved to share her fond memories of roller skating around Ebbets Field and meeting the Brooklyn Dodgers' players on their way into the games. Her parents taught her and her sisters to stand by the people you love but to "stay out of each other's socks," as her father would say. She kept the memory of her parents alive by sharing their tidbits of wisdom with her own children.

Maureen attended high school at St. Agnes Seminary School, in Brooklyn, where she bonded with a group of girls that affectionately referred to themselves as "The Chick Clique," and who remained lifelong friends. She attended St. Joseph's College, in Brooklyn, studying English and secondary education. After graduating in 1965, she started a long and successful career as a teacher, spending the majority of that time teaching high school and college. She is especially proud to have taught at the Henry Viscardi School, and she was so inspired by the work she was doing there that she went on to earn her master's degree in special education from Adelphi University in 1995. She was especially passionate about teaching her students (and her children) to become strong writers. (We think she would have loved to proofread this for us.) She loved teaching so much that she spent the final years of her professional career training new teachers at Molloy College.

She met the love of her life, James "Buddy" Mannix, in 1963. Regardless of whose version of the first encounter you wish to believe, they did mutually agree that they met at a frat party. They married on June 25, 1966, and remained faithfully devoted to each other for nearly 56 years. They raised their three children in West Hempstead, N.Y., where they lived for nearly 40 years. Together they enjoyed entertaining family and friends (old and new) and spending time with their children and grandchildren. They traveled the world together, visiting Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. One of Maureen's favorite travel experiences was getting to visit a school in mainland China, and speaking with the students there.

Maureen cherished her three children and four grandchildren. She never missed an opportunity to tell them that she loved them and was proud of them.

Maureen loved the arts and tried to pass down her appreciation for music, theater and literature to all her children. She always made sure there was music playing in the house or the car, and her children and grandchildren all have fond memories of her reading to them. She loved taking her three children to Broadway shows, movies and museums. She could also be spotted with her family at Shea Stadium, Madison Square Garden or Nassau Coliseum. She was even in attendance when the Knicks won their last championship in 1973, while nine months pregnant with her second son.

No one worked harder to be a good friend than Maureen. She appreciated friendships for the gifts that they are and was determined to nurture and grow them throughout her entire life. She was always ready with words of encouragement, a shoulder to cry on or a nonjudgmental ear. She cherished her friends old and new, remaining in touch with her friends from high school and college throughout the years and making new friends wherever she went. Maureen was also a lover of dog (singular), and we are certain her beloved Riley was there to greet her at the Rainbow Bridge.

In her retirement years, she was active in her book club and 9-holers golf group, and cherished the friends she made in Pinehurst. She volunteered at First Health Moore Regional Hospital and was a Eucharistic minister at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Maureen was best known for warmth and kindness, but she was also the strongest and most resilient woman we knew. She beat cancer twice and always stayed true to her strong moral compass. One of her favorite sayings was "life is for the living." Although we will always miss her terribly, we know the best way to honor her memory is to live a life as full as she did.

Maureen was a prime example of a life well-lived. She worked hard, loved harder and made the best of every situation. She had a successful career, a beautiful family and many wonderful adventures. Not bad for a girl from Brooklyn.

In addition to her parents, Maureen was predeceased by her sister, Anne Gallagher; and brother-in-law, Hugh Gallagher.

In addition to her husband, Maureen is survived by her son, Kevin Mannix, daughter-in-law, Christine Mannix, and children, Casey and Charlie, in Jamison, Pa.; son, Jim Mannix, daughter-in-law, Dawn Mannix, and their children, Hailey and Liam, in Atlanta, Ga.; and daughter, Kara Mannix Pagliarulo, and son-in-law, Todd Pagliarulo, in Raleigh. Maureen is also survived by her sister, Peggy Lucey and brother-in-law, Jim Lucey, in Pinehurst. She is also survived by her nephew, Stephen Lucey, and his family, in Wantagh, N.Y.; and her niece, Elisabeth Gallagher Celentano, and her family, in West Hempstead, N.Y.

A funeral Mass for Maureen Mannix will be held on Saturday, June 4, at 1:30 p.m., at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in Pinehurst.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to one of Maureen's two favorite charities, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or Wounded Warrior Project.

Online condolences may be left at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.

Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.