Fond tributes as caring nurse Mary dies in the US

FORMER nurse Mary Wallis, nee O’Brien, who was born in Drimoleague 1926, passed away recently at her home in Florida.

Mary was born on November 7, 1926 in Drimoleague where she lived with her parents Bartholomew and Hanna O’Brien until she left to study nursing before working as a registered nurse for many years.

Mary moved to Boston in 1953 and worked as a registered nurse at the New England Deaconess Hospital and as a teaching nurse at Joslin Diabetic Center. She married Warren Wallis and then moved to Daytona Beach in 1958 to work at Halifax Hospital until she opened her own business, Wallis Nurses Registry in 1967.

When Mary retired in 1990, having sold her business, she founded the Wallis Training School for nursing assistants, the first of its kind and the largest training school for aides. Mary also worked with pregnancy crisis counselling in 1973 and in 1989 she founded the Pregnancy Crisis Center in Daytona Beach where she worked as director, fund-raising chairman and volunteer training co-ordinator.

Mary served on a variety of community boards, chaired many fundraising benefits for service organisations and received numerous civic and humanitarian recognitions and awards. She was also a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Halifax River Yacht Club, Nurses for Christ, Pregnancy Crisis Center and her interests were people, family and friends, thea-tre, travel and books. 

Mary is mourned by her husband Warren, sister Eileen and her brothers Bartholomew (Bertie) and Michael. Mary is survived by 17 nieces and nephews, and 31 great nieces and nephews.

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The clocks have gone forward and the longer evenings have finally arrived which can only mean one thing – the lawn mowers are out. A wealth of knowledge is on hand at Bandon Co-Op’s three stores in Bandon, Enniskeane and Kinsale thanks to each of their in-store experts who are there to share their vast experience