Maria Joanne Mulroy

Maria Joanne Mulroy of Narragansett, Rhode Island died peacefully, with her family by her side on Tuesday, October 25th after a brief but devastating illness. Maria was the devoted daughter of Lynda Coogan (John) of Gravesend, Kent, England, Peter Mulroy of Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland and granddaughter of the late Joan and Edward Wood also of Gravesend and the late Patrick and Mary Mulroy also of Clonmel. She was the cherished mother of Tyler Denniston (Alexandra), Sheenagh Westervelt (David), Conner Marley (Maisie), and Evan Marley. Her grandchildren, Teagan, Hayden †, and Grant Westervelt and Willa and Everett Denniston meant the world to her. She was the source of great strength and love to her siblings Colleen Mulroy, Dean Mulroy, Tara Mulroy (Fran O’Brien), Sheenagh Mulroy (John Considine) as well as her many nieces and nephews. A wide circle of friends and extended family will miss her dearly.

Maria was born on February 22, 1964, in Dartford, Kent, England; she was raised in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. She never lost her love of her English and Irish roots as she embraced her adopted America, where she became a citizen in 2017. Her early education was at Loretto Convent in Clonmel, and her undergraduate degree was from the University of Rhode Island. This proud member of the Rhode Island Bar Association achieved her law degree at Roger Williams University School of Law. Her law practice included criminal defense, immigration and family law. Most recently Maria was an attorney for the Senate Republican Caucus at the Connecticut State Legislature in Hartford, Connecticut and served as an attorney for the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Maria was a woman of many talents, interests and passions. Most notably, she was a strong advocate for women who were battered and abused and assisted hundreds of immigrants to gain their lawful immigration status and become US citizens. Maria was also a wedding officiant, creating special and intensely personal marriage services for many couples, including two of her own, Sheenagh and David Westervelt and Conner and Maisie Marley. She loved New England sports teams and would often attend Fenway to watch the Red Sox whoop the Yankees. She had a strong and deep love of the sea. Maria was a fighter who lived life her way with great ardor, zest and love. She will be missed beyond measure.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, November 1st from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Avery Storti Funeral Home in Wakefield, Rhode Island. A Mass will be held in her memory at Christ the King Church in Kingston, Rhode Island on Wednesday, November 2nd at 10:00am. Funeral service can be viewed via live stream at:  https://www.youtube.com/user/ChristtheKingVideos

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Rhode Island Hospital Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), especially Dr. Grant Cagle who was heavily invested in Maria’s care. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Maria’s memory to the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County or the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation, two causes that were close to her heart.