Mary Bridget (Lawless) Covais of Barnegat passed away Monday, April 25, 2022, at home in Manahawkin, with her daughter and her grandson by her side. She was 90 years old. Mary was born June 14, 1931, in Astoria, NY, the second child of Irish immigrants, who came to this country after the bitterness of the 1916 rebellion. Her father, Peter Lawless, was counted as one of the heroes during the 100th Celebration of the Easter Rebellion. Mary grew up in the in the Bronx and graduated from Sacred Heart High in 1949. Legend has it that Mary met Anthony (Tony) Covais at a school dance. She worked for an engineering firm after high school. Further family lore has it that Tony proposed to Mary after they saw South Pacific on Broadway. They married in 1952. Together they raised six daughters and lived most of their lives in Middletown, NJ, where Tony practiced as an AIA Architect for over 40 years. Mary’s outstanding organizational and motivational skills kept six daughters, multiple homes, and several dogs on track. She was an active member of St. Mary's Church in New Monmouth. She and Tony retired to the Heritage Bay Community in Barnegat in 1999. Mary, avid bridge player, was active in garden clubs in Middletown and Barnegat, and supported the volunteer fire department in Barnegat. She was interested in gardening, watercolor, ceramics and doing crafts with all her little ones. She and Tony enjoyed many lazy afternoons at the beach in Cape Cod. She would lend a hand to take care of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a generous and concerned neighbor who would help anyone in their small community[TS1] of Heritage Bay. She is remembered as a skillful card player who would take delight in cleaning her kids out of small change. Her love of the ocean is enshrined in the hearts of her children and the generations that have followed. And for her love and dedication, her family is deeply grateful for having known her.
Mary is predeceased by her loving husband of 59 years, Tony and her parents, Ann and Peter Lawless; her brother, Michael Lawless and his wife, Patricia Ann, and their son, Michael; and her brother-in-law, Louis Covais and his wife, Joan. She is survived by her 6 daughters and their spouses: Therese Sturmer, Eileen & Joseph Oleksy, Ann Marie Hogan, Frances & the late Carl Lautenberger, Susan & Michael McGuinness, Mary Ellen & Andrew Shirshac; Bernard & wife Patricia Covais; 20 adoring grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Memorial Gathering will be held on Friday May 6, 2022 from 4-7 PM at Barnegat Funeral Home, 841 W. Bay Ave., Barnegat. Funeral Mass offered Saturday, May 7, 2022 10:00 AM at St. Mary's Church, Barnegat. Cremation Private. (www.BarnegatFH.com)
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (links below)
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