Maura McCarthy Hanley's Obituary
Maura McCarthy Hanley passed away on January 15, 2024, in Dallas after a brief illness. Raised in Port Washington, New York, Maura worked in radio in New York City before marrying Pierce Jude Hanley, a West Point graduate, in 1964.
Maura and Pierce lived in Arizona, the Philippines, New York, New Jersey, Louisville, Kentucky, and finally in Dallas, where Maura made many friends yet never lost her New York accent.
After the births of her two daughters, Maura attended nursing school, and practiced as a nurse for over 30 years. She never met a stranger and had a wide range of friends who she hosted regularly at dinner parties and holiday events.
She had many hobbies and interests including antique fairs and flea markets, travel of all kinds, both fine art and street art, and collecting quilts, silver, or anything that caught her eye. There is perhaps no one who loved finding and gifting unique Christmas ornaments more than Maura.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Pierce, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1987, and by her granddaughter, Brooke Reynolds, who passed away in 2022. She is survived by her daughters, Deirdre Hanley of Manakin Sabot, Virginia, and Tara Hanley of Dallas. She is also survived by her beloved siblings: Renee McCarthy Hyde, Shelia McCarthy Dunnells, Janice McCarthy McGrath, and William McCarthy.
She is also survived by her adored eight grandchildren, whom she devoted endless hours to: Holt, Alex, Annie, Jack, Pierce, Daisy, Savannah, and Beau. Perhaps no grandmother attended more basketball games than Maura. She hosted enumerable pool parties for her grandchildren at her home and endured everything from play dough to lip gloss making their way onto her antique furniture. She never minded.
Her New York accent came in very useful when reading “Eloise” aloud to her grandchildren, and her pride in their accomplishments as they grew up and graduated from high school and college was tangible. She will be missed not only by her family, her siblings, her nieces, and nephews, but by the numerous friends she made everywhere she went.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.
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