Margaret Mary Schmitt

Margaret Mary (Gallagher) Schmitt, 83, passed to eternal life on Sunday, October 10, 2021 surrounded by her family. 

She leaves her beloved nieces:  Kathleen (Michael) McDevitt of Whitinsville, Ann Rabuffo of Sutton, Joan (Harry) Norman of Glastonbury, CT, Ellen Gallagher of Hopkinton, Mary (Tim) Gallagher of Natick, and Jane (Michael) Conard of Canton.  She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Rose Gallagher, her cousin Ann Marie (Jim) Renaud, and a very special friend and step-daughter, Eileen Schmitt of California.  She was pre-deceased by her husband, Kurt H. Schmitt and her brother Robert J. Gallagher.

Born and raised in Worcester, she was the daughter of John J. and Mary B. (McKeon) Gallagher.  She was a proud member of the first class to graduate from Notre Dame Academy.  She went into the convent after graduation and was a sister of the Notre Dame de Namur order for 20 years, teaching at elementary schools across New England.

After following her heart and leaving the convent, Margaret Mary met her husband Kurt and she begin the next adventurous chapter of her life.  She had a 16-year career in Human Resource Administration at Emmanuel College in Boston and spent her free time traveling the U.S. and Europe, often visiting Kurt’s family in Germany and skiing the Alps.  After their retirement they left the Boston area and moved to Vermont where they enjoyed skiing, snowmobiling and remote cabin living with their Great Danes.  Margaret Mary and her husband eventually left Vermont and moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas where she taught Yoga and continued traveling and enjoying the Ozarks, including dinners at Gaston’s on the White River and weekend trips to Branson, Missouri.  Margaret also took up competitive swimming and represented the state of Arkansas at the National Senior Olympic Games in 2007.  While in Mountain Home, Margaret Mary was an active member of St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church, the Ozark Earth & Science group, and enjoyed classes at Arkansas State University.  Margaret Mary lost her beloved husband in 2014, and moved back to Massachusetts in 2020 to be closer to her family. 

Margaret Mary was fiercely independent and spunky.  Born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1938 she cherished her Irish Heritage and was proud to be a Gallagher.  She loved to tell stories about growing up on Forbes Street in Worcester and will be fondly remembered by her friends and family for her humor and adventurous spirit.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 AM on Thursday, October 14, in St. Luke the Evangelist Church, 70 W. Main St. Westborough.