Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

Mary Elizabeth Dolan (nee Brown). Age 93

Her early nickname was Brownie, but for many years - Mary, Mom, Ma, Mommy, Aunt Mary, and Gramma were the names to which she responded. She lived in Edgewater, Maryland for the past 40 years, with winters spent on Singer Island, Florida during her 70’s and early 80’s.

She was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 25, 1930. She was the only child of Edward Gerald and M. Elizabeth (Betty) Brown (nee White) and lived in Worcester until she married William Garvey Dolan on November 10, 1951, and joyfully became a part of a large family.  Through the years she lived in Spencer, Brighton, Northboro, and Seekonk Massachusetts, New Haven, Torrance, and Guilford Connecticut, and Minetto, New York before moving to Bowie, Maryland in 1977.

She died on August 10th in her home after a short illness (pneumonia).  She had lived at home, being cared for by her son, William (Will) Dolan, who she pronounced often - a saint and an angel - and to her and his family, he is that.

She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, William Garvey Dolan, her oldest daughter, Patricia Marie Anderson, and her son, Edward Garvey Dolan.  She is survived by her son Michael William Dolan and his wife, Sandra (nee Keough), her daughter Tara Elizabeth Wright, and her husband Richard Wright, her son William Garvey Dolan, and Edward’s wife, her daughter-in-law Leslie Dolan (nee Stinchcomb), her grandchildren, Dr. Elizabeth Lea Dolan and her husband Alec Lowman, Sean Michael Dolan, and Liam Edward Dolan,  Her precious dog, Bonnie also survives and misses her terribly.

She attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts for a short time, leaving when she got married.  She then reentered College in her early 40s at the State University of New York in Oswego, NY to study art and painting.  She went on to become a prolific painter, having her work shown at a juried show at the  Cochran Museum in Washington, DC; at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, NY, a private showing at the West Palm Beach library, and in various shows in the Annapolis, MD area.

She also wrote poetry and had a number of her poems published in small collections.  She knitted voraciously (at least a hundred multicolored blankets), and entered contests - winning Redi Whips Recipe of the Year and a trip to the Bayou Classic in New Orleans for 4.

Mary was a loving mother, grandmother,  aunt, and godmother (her greatest honor was being named as godmother to her niece Kathleen Ryder Nee Meagher), and she was a friend.  She loved to laugh, tell stories, and tell fortunes {she saw it as a gift of sight from God - helping her, family,  and friends navigate through life and love (pitfalls and all)}.  She was a woman of strong faith and convictions.

Her last big adventure was going to celebrate her granddaughter Elizabeth’s wedding to Alec Lowman.  It was a risky long trip, but so worth it.  She came sparkling to life and exhibiting, even in dementia her ability to face and overcome challenges and to rise to an occasion!

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Mary's life on Friday, August 16, 2024, from 10:30 until a Mass of Christian Burial is offered at 11:30 am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 515 Loch Haven Road, Edgewater, MD 21037. A graveside service will be held on Monday, August 19, 2024, at 11 am at Lakemont Memorial Gardens, Davidsonville, MD.

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Mary Elizabeth Dolan

Mary Elizabeth Dolan

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