Maura (O'Flaherty) McDermott

Maura McDermott of Valhalla, New York passed away peacefully in her home with her three children by her side on September 30, 2024, in her 86th year.  Maura was the fifth born and oldest daughter of ten born in Ushers Island, Dublin, Ireland in 1938. She immigrated to New York in the early 1960s where she worked as a nanny on Long Island before becoming a bridal seamstress for “Best & Company” on Fifth Ave in Manhattan. She met the love of her life, John McDermott of Co. Roscommon, at a dance in the Bronx, on his birthday in August 1965. A whirlwind romance, they became engaged after just two weeks and married two months later in November. They enjoyed 55 wonderful years together.

Always a caregiver, she raised three children in St. Brendan’s Parish Bronx, while being a home health aide. In 1984, Maura took work with Good Housekeeping magazine in Manhattan.  She was a lab technician for the Home Appliance Department.  If you saw the Good Housing Keeping Seal of Approval on a home appliance that was Maura’s name. In the early 2000s, she and John retired in Valhalla, NY, where she enjoyed gardening, spending time with her grandchildren, and playing with their little dog Guinness.

Maura is predeceased by her loving husband of 55 years, John, her parents Thomas & Mae, her brothers Tommy, Sean, Seamus & Liam, and her sisters Kathleen & Deirdre.  She is survived by her children Deirdre (Raymond) Gibbons, Vincent (Tracy), and Kathleen (Thomas) Mannion. In addition to her grandchildren, Caitlin & Liam Gibbons and Maisey Mannion, her brothers Paddy in London, Desi & Brian in Dublin, and numerous nieces and nephews across the globe.

                                In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Hospice of Westchester in memory of Maura. 

https://hospiceofwestchester.org/

Family and friends are invited to Pleasant Manor Funeral Home, Inc. 575 Columbus Avenue - Thornwood, New York 10594 on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 3:00 - 8:00 PM for visitation.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Maura at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Valhalla on Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 10:00 AM.  Maura will be laid to rest in her family plot alongside her beloved husband John at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York following the funeral mass.

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