Obituary of Mary Louise Joyce-McDonough

Mary Louise Joyce-McDonough, nee Prehn, age 90, passed away on April 23, 2021, at her home in Wilton, CT.

A funeral service will be held at Saint Maurice Catholic Church at 358 Glenbrook Road, Stamford, CT on Thursday, April 29, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Saint John Catholic Cemetery in Darien.  Visitation will be held at the Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home, 104 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford, on Wednesday, April 28, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Mary was born in Washington, D.C.  to Carl and Maria Prehn in 1930. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Joseph’s College in Emmitsburg, MD, where she also acquired many life-long friends. Active in the “Saint Joe’s” alumna association, these friends proudly gathered for their 50^th and 55th reunions at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of the college. Shortly after graduation, Mary took an administrative civilian job with the U.S. Army that took her to post-war Europe—a job that allowed her the flexibility to ski in France, take side trips to Belgium, and visit cousins in Germany.

Upon returning from Europe, Mary took up graduate studies in chemistry at Georgetown University in Washington. While there, she met a student of Georgetown’s School of Law. Mary went on to marry Patrick Joseph Joyce, and start a family. Following a few corporate moves, they settled in Stamford, CT.  

As her children grew older, Mary began to work outside the home—first by opening The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat, a pre-Etsy store for local crafters to sell their work that allowed her flexibility as she raised young children. Then, after 10 years as a retailer, Mary sold her store and joined the corporate world as a legal aide. Following some years at a local law firm, Mary began working in GE global headquarters, where she worked for 18 years until her retirement in 2014.

In that time, her first husband having died, Mary met and married a vibrant widower, Paul McDonough, who introduced her to fine cooking, parasailing, and beach biking. When Paul had a stroke just one year into their marriage, she loyally cared for him for several years before he was admitted to nursing care.

In the years following Paul’s passing, Mary devoted herself to her immediate and extended family. She is survived by daughter Kathleen Joyce-Kirk, son-in-law Thomas Kirk Sr. and grandsons Thomas Kirk Jr. and Sean Kirk, all of Redding, CT; son Michael Joyce of Las Vegas, NV; daughter Monica Joyce-Montaudy and grandson Jean-Luc Montaudy, of Milford, CT; daughter Anne Marie Joyce of Wilton; daughter Sheila Joyce and granddaughter Addison McCarthy, of Stamford, CT; son Stephen Joyce of Stamford, and his daughters Erin and Margaret; and daughter Maureen Calorossi, son-in-law John Calorossi, Jr., granddaughter Jenna Calorossi, grandson John Patrick Calorossi, and granddaughter Mia Calorossi, all of Monroe, CT.  Mary is predeceased in death by her son, Patrick X. Joyce, her brother Herman Prehn of Maryland, and both her husbands.

Memorial donations may be made to ARI of Connecticut, 174 Richmond Hill, Stamford, CT 06902 or the American Cancer Society.  The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County, which provided Mary with compassionate care in her final weeks.