Mary S. Dennis

In Memoriam: Mary Sylvia Fernandes-Dennis (1942-2021) 

On Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Mary S. Fernandes-Dennis departed this world following a battle with lung cancer and related complications. Mary was born in 1942 to Manuel Fernandes and Geneva Nunes-Fernandes. Raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, she was their youngest child. She graduated from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1960. 

In 1963, Mary married her high school sweetheart, Daniel Dennis Sr. She gave birth to their first son Daniel Jr. in 1964. After moving to New York City, Mary gave birth to their sons Robert in 1965 and Langdon in 1968. Mary, her husband, and their children moved to Boston, MA in 1968 where her husband enrolled in Harvard Business School. 

After her husband earned his MBA in 1970, Mary and her family moved to the suburbs of Boston. For the next few years Mary was a stay-at-home mom, helping to raise their children. Once their children were old enough to fend for themselves after coming home from school, Mary held various jobs in the administrative accounting and bookkeeping fields before eventually retiring from Kiley & Company in Boston in 2016. 

Formerly Mary was an active member of St. John’s Baptist Church in Woburn, Mass. Most recently she was a member of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury. Some of her philanthropic activities included making regular charitable donations to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Easterseals, Toys for Tots, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the National Audubon Society. 

In addition to traveling the world and entertaining and socializing with family and friends in “Boston” and on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary enjoyed trips to the casino, reading, playing card and board games, spoiling her dog (fourth son) Max, and dancing, especially with her son Langdon. 

Mary was genuinely loved and cherished by her family and friends. She never remarried and is once again with her loving and devoted husband Daniel Sr. who predeceased her by eleven years. The epitome of motherhood, Mary is survived by her loving children Daniel Jr., Robert, and Langdon. Other survivors include her loving and devoted sisters Francis Santos of Bridgeport, CT, Priscilla Gonsalves of Preston, CT and several nieces, nephews, siblings-in-law, and friends. Mary was predeceased by three brothers, Alfred, Manuel, and Joseph Fernandes and three sisters, Stella and Florence “Dolly” Fernandes and Theresa Lopes. 

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