Revere resident: 97-year-old Maria O’Callaghan dies after six decades of marriage
A Revere High School graduate and former key punch operator passed away at a senior living facility in Melrose.
By Carolina Wood ·
Maria J. O’Callaghan lived to be 97 years old. She died peacefully on November 5 in Revere after what family members described as a long, happy, and healthy life.
Born in 1929 during the Great Depression, O’Callaghan spent her entire life in Revere. She graduated from Revere High School in 1948. Before marrying, she worked as a key punch operator at John Hancock Life Insurance Company. After her children grew up, she returned to the workforce at Stone & Webster Engineering. There, she learned computer data entry, a skill the obituary notes she approached with bravery.
She married John O’Callaghan in 1952. The couple remained married for 60 years until his death in 2012. They traveled frequently to Hawaii and Italy and visited their daughter wherever she lived. O’Callaghan maintained a deep religious faith throughout her life. She was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish from early Sunday school classes through her wedding, her children’s baptisms, and her husband’s funeral. She watched daily mass on television until her death.
Her final years were spent at The Residence at Melrose Station Senior Living Community. The obituary credits the staff and her friends with providing an active social life during this period. Allcare Hospice provided care and support to O’Callaghan and her daughter during a brief final illness.
She is survived by her daughter, Marianne Toppen, and her husband, Ted, both of Revere. Her son, John O’Callaghan, lives in Chantilly, Virginia. She is also survived by nieces and a nephew. She was predeceased by her parents, Vincent and Bernadina Romanelli, and her brother, Lawrence Romanelli.
Visiting hours are scheduled for Thursday, November 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Beechwood Home for Funerals on Beach Street in Revere. A funeral mass will follow at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Church on Revere Street. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden. The family requests donations to a charity of the donor’s choice in lieu of flowers.
