Ethel Marie (Shaw) O’Shaughnessy
August 12, 1919 – December 10, 2011
Ethel Marie (Shaw) O’Shaughnessy of Fairfield, CT, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2011 with family by her side. Born in West New York, NJ, Ethel and her late husband James M. O’Shaughnessy raised their six children in Westfield, NJ, where they were active members of Holy Trinity parish and were dedicated volunteers in their community. Ethel had been a resident of Fairfield, CT for the last 12 years, where she formed many close friendships and was active in family life as a mother and grandmother. Ethel earned a BA in Economics from St. Elizabeth’s College, where she was a member of the Aberdeens. She later earned her Masters in Education from Kean University and obtained a Montessori teaching certificate. With a lifelong love of children and learning, Ethel went on to teach Montessori and later opened a Montessori school in Cranford,NJ. Ethel had a uniquely warm spirit, a deep faith and a charismatic presence. She enjoyed playing bridge, attending theatre and music performances and taking classes at the local college. Ethel had a wonderful life: she was a source of wisdom and inspiration in the lives of her extended family and a spark of joy to all who knew and loved her.
Ethel’s legacy lives on in her children Mary Anne Kresse and husband Fred of Seneca, SC ; Kathy O’Shaughnessy and husband George Klitsch of Stamford, CT; Beth McTigue and husband Jerry of Fairfield, CT; James O’Shaughnessy and wife Andrea of Medfield, MA; Eileen Grasso and husband Patrick of Old Greenwich, CT; and Margaret Skikos and husband Peter of Santa Rosa, CA; ten grandchildren, Philip and Michael Kresse; Ryan, Emily and Sarah O’Shaughnessy; Owen and Kate McTigue; James, Andrew and Paul Grasso; two great-grandchildren Alyssa and Kathyrn Kresse. She is survived by her sister Anne Hickman of Pompano Beach, FL and brother Roger Shaw of Fort Lee, NJ. Ethel’s family wants to express their heartfelt gratitude to Shimone Fitzgerald for her loyal service to their mother, and in her final days, to the staff at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. directly at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, 545 Stratfield Road, Fairfield, CT. Interment will be private. Friends may greet the family on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road, in Fairfield Center. Memorial contributions may be made in Ethel’s name to: The Shrine Church of Saint Anthony of Padua Franciscan Friars 154 Sullivan Street New York City, New York 10012 or Food for the Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073-3602 or www.foodforthepoor.org.
To all of Ethel’s family,
I am so very, very sorry. She was a shining light and she will be very missed.
With love to all,
Meg Grosso
To Mrs. O’Shaughnessy and her entire family, I express my sincere condolences. God bless her and all of you!
Very truly,
David
To all of you O’Shaughnesseys et al,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Our fondest memories of Ethel’s lovely face and interesting conversations will stay. We will miss her too.
love and hugs,
Pam and Joe
what a wonderful tribute and a life well lived. she legacy lives in all of you! what a great gift to your family and all your friends who share this life with you. love, Karin
You are in our thoughts and prayers
You will rarely find a woman more lovely than Ethel O’Shaughnessy in this world. A woman of faith, courage, and deep abiding love for her family. We will miss her, but will remember her always with a warm heart and a knowing smile.
We had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. O’Shaughnessy one time – about five years ago in an airport in Atlanta. Like my family she was travelling back to CT and our flight was cancelled. We chatted with her in the airport and we made sure her name found it’s way on to every other potential flight list that we were able to get on. We ended up on a flight together only to have that plane have mechanical problems which left us stuck at the gate for an hour or more before they told us anything. She was not feeling well and we were able to get the flight attendants to break the rules and get her off that plane with information about flights that we had her listed on stand-by. For the rest of our journey home we worried about whether she got onto a flight and whether she was OK.
That question was answered not more than a few days later when we received the nicest card from her thanking us for our help…..it turned out that we all lived in Fairfield and she remembered the name of where I worked and found the address to send a card. The card was totally unnecessary as we really did nothing more for her than we would hope anyone would do in the same situation.
It was a pleasure to meet her and have her meet our then 5 and 7 year old kids. Like us they were saddened to hear of her passing when I told them yesterday. From our family to your family – our condolences on the loss of a special woman.
Kevin Simmons
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Love,
Tom & Nancy
Our thoughts and prayers are with the O’Shaughnessy family. Blessings, The Zadik Family
My condolences to the whole O’Shaughnessy Family, Your mother truly was a shining star. I never saw her get cross, although I’ll sure she did. I never realized how good we had it, living next to the huge O’Shaughnessy family and the Trautmans. I don’t remember much of those times, but I’m sure we were hellions, she really did love children and it showed. Although I haven’t seen you in years, you made a positive impression on me. Thank you and rest in peace.
My thoughts and prayers for all the O’Shaughnessy’s and relations.
My dears—-Ethel was my “backdoor” neighbor for many years when our children were young. Between us, we had 10 !! No one could have been a better friend, both she and her tall, courtly husband. Ethel was the one to bring to our house a beautifully frosted pink cake when I gave birth to my first girl after three boys!——-I shall never forget her habit of letting the neighborhood youngsters know there would be a reward of $2 whenever one of her HER children’s shoes went missing. The enticement always worked, the shoe was returned and she told me it was a LOT less expensive than buying a new pair!!———-Our children occasionally played under our 7-oak tree but one little girl and my oldest boy got into a fight over a hole he was digging to China! That sweet girl wielded a shovel in such a way that our boy learned a vivid lesson over what girls were capable of!!!!!———I could go on, but suffice it to say, neighbors like Ethel are rare and I have missed her ever since she left. Love to all her dear children and please feel free to visit me in Westfield whenever you revisit this area. Annesley
With prayers to all the family. May her spirit fill each of you.
Sheila Lombardi
To Ethel”s children and Roger,
We have many happy memories of living next door to Ethel and Jim. Ethel and I were good friends for many years. She would come to me for help, and I would ask favors of her. We helped each other out on many occasions. She was a wonderful neighbor from the day we moved in in1975. We always enjoyed Roger’s visits because he was so much fun. You were all so blessed to have such wonderful parents.
Cindy Andzel
Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire O’Shaughnessy family. Ethel is still as beautiful as I remembered her during her many years in Westfield. So sorry to all of you for your loss.
Pat and Richard Longshore
Aunt Ethel was such a devoted Mother and Grandmother!. I remember on our visit to NJ when we were kids that she ran a tight ship, really caring about her children, and it was clear she was a teacher. We’re so sorry for your loss.
I was a “new daughter” in Ethel’s life. I will always have a place in my heart for her. My sincere condolences to all the family. I do love all of you.
Christy Valle.
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember her as a very smart, gracious, thoughtful, and stylish lady. God bless all of you in your sorrow.
In heartfelt sympathy,
Joni Gregg
I know Mrs. O’Shaughnessy primarily through her oldest daughter, Mary Anne’s eyes; although I did meet her once when she visited Mary Anne in Marietta, GA. The three of us sat on the screen porch, probably sipping tea and had such wonderful conversation that afternoon. She shared memories about her Montessori days and raising her six children when she heard that I am a teacher and oldest of five siblings. She was gracious, lovely, extremely intelligent. Having met her, I realized many of Mary Anne’s wonderful qualities were inherited from her mother. My prayers are with you, Mary Anne and all the family, as you grieve. Love, Kathy
Mary Anne, Kathy, Beth, Jim, Eileen, Peggy,
My deepest condolences on the passing of your mother. We all share great memories of our younger days when our families would get together, and of the relationship that our parents had. Beth told me that your father thought of my father as a brother. My father felt the same way and I know he always cherished the time he lived with your father’s family after his mother died.
Let’s stay in touch as best we can.
My email is richieg4@optonline.net and I am on Facebook.
Richie
To all of the O’Shaughnessy family members,
What a beautiful tribute to your dear Ethel! I only met her a few times and a very long time ago when Maryanne, Christina, Betty and I were still roommates in NYC. I know she will be missed so much by all of you. May she rest in peace and I send you all my deepest condolences. She, and her husband James, have left an amazing legacy of a wonderful loving family and now you and your children will carry on her and their legacy and their love into the future. God bless you all! Much love, Suzanne
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