Mary Walsh Ruell was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1916. Her life and personality lived up to her beginnings: she is the original Independent Woman and her intellect burns as bright as a firework.

Mary is the second child of Thomas Joseph Walsh and Ellen Lillian Walsh of Ireland. She grew up in Hamilton, Massachusetts with her older brother Tom and her younger sister, Rita. Mary’s father died in 1919. His widow, Mary’s mother, raised her children to work hard and expect the most of themselves.

They all delivered.

All three earned college degrees. Mary earner hers from Salem Teachers’ College in 1933. Despite more than one request for her hand, she put off marriage until 1949 becasue she didn’t want to feel tied down. When she did marry, she took a short break from work and then went back to it in 1954. She taught taught high school business courses and English courses until her retirement in 1977. Instead of slowing down when she retired, she started chairing committees and editing newsletters. She earned many awards for her commitment to the community including the Citizen of the Year Award from her local Rotary Club.

Mary is the type of woman who tells it like it is. From mailing letters to publishers when she finds mistakes in their books to running for office at the age of 88 to challenge what she considered the too-Republican status quo in her state, Mary doesn’t pull her punches. At the same time, she is a caring and proud mother and grandmother. It’s virtually impossible to stop her bragging about her family, unless you interrupt her to request that she chair a new committee.

This website is being established in April of 2012. Mary is 95. We were worried that if we waited any longer, she’d be annoyed at not being given proper time to edit it.

Enjoy,

Lillian Ruelle Mongeau Hughes