THE MARY CONNORTON
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Mary L. Connorton was born in Concord on February 7, 1902. Mary was a second generation Concordian. Mary’s mother was Martha (Kenna) Connorton and her father was John Connorton.  She attended Concord public schools and graduated from Concord High School in 1919. Following high school, she graduated from Miss Pierce Secretarial School in Boston. Miss Connorton worked as a secretary for the Walker & Company Wool Merchants in Boston for many years.

Mary had a sister Helen Connorton who died young at only 13 in 1917 during a flu epidemic. She also had a brother, John Connorton. Mary was a communicant and active member of St. Bernard’s Church in Concord.  She was a member of the St. Bernard’s Sodality and a Charter member of The Catholic Daughters of America, Our Lady’s Court # 1116 in 1935. 

Mary was also a member of Concord’s 300th Anniversary Celebrations Committee in 1935. Mary was an Incorporator of Emerson Hospital, a member of the Pro-Parvulus Club of Boston and she volunteered at the Thoreau Lyceum in Concord, during her retirement years. 

Mary was a very tall and statuesque woman who was quite ladylike and always wore a fashionable hat to all social occasions.  Mary had a generous and kind nature. Her lovely smile would greet all on many occasions. When she was younger, her uncle, Joseph Dee took her to Ireland and Europe with her cousin Margaret Dee. She fell in love with the country of her grandparents’ birth and enjoyed frequent travel to Ireland. Mary returned to Killeigh Parish, County Offaly to the home of her Kenna ancestors visiting cousins there frequently. She traveled extensively to many countries during her lifetime with friends and family.

She died on June 8, 1991 at the age of 89 in Concord where she lived her entire life.  The last surviving member of a longtime Concord family, Mary left her entire estate to various charities, including The Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund is honored to have established this memorial in her honor and that of her family.