Biography

Mary Irene Abell was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on April 3, 1918 to Emma St. Laurent Abell and Leslie R. Abell and spent most of her childhood with her aunt, Mary Eva Dufort who saw that Mary Irene was given many special opportunities. Many photographs reveal that Mary Irene was an excellent tap dancer and frequently performed solos in recitals. She graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1936 and in spite of hard economic times immediately got a job as a bookkeeper at Simon Saw and Steel, where her attention to detail and mental quickness made her a valued employee in spite of her youth.

Her marriage to Roland Short, Jr., a career military officer, offered further opportunities to Mary Irene. By the this time she was a mother to a daughter, Carol. She enjoyed being stationed in Germany from 1948 to 1951, and loved the social aspects of army life. She hunted with her husband and was proud of bagging a wild boar; she also enjoyed visiting other countries and of course shopping and antiquing. With another military wife, she and Carol traveled to Venice, Italy, by train – a brave thing to do in those days in postwar Europe.

Lt. Col. Short retired from the military service in 1955, and he and Mary Irene moved to Florida. Together they managed a luggage store in Pompano Beach, until Carol graduated from college and Mary Irene began her own college education, fulfilling a lifelong dream. After her graduation, she taught junior high and high school in Ft. Lauderdale while earning a master's degree from FAU and receiving many awards as an outstanding teacher. Some of her proud moments were sponsoring the National Honor Society, helping her students win awards that would impact their lives, and winning the teachers' football pool.

During this time she became active in many local organizations including the Daughters of the American Revolution, Boca Raton Shrine Club, Eastern Star, Gold Coast Red Cross Angels, Military Officers Association, and two local councils of the Navy League of the United States. She served as president of several organizations, chapter Regent of DAR in 1976, a national director of Navy League and a social member of the Deerfield Country Club. She was active politically with the Republican party, and was very generous with gifts to various charities.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her mother Emma who liver with her in Florida, her father Leslie, and two brothers.

She is survived by her daughter and her husband, Carol and Bill Hayden; her granddaughter an her husband, Mary Jennifer and Trevor Anderson; two great granddaughters, Isabelle Claire and Lea Rose Anderson all of Greeley, Colorado; a dear friend Rita Korf of Highland Beach, a brother, Bruce Abell of Reno, Nevada; two nieces Mary Leslie Woo and Ashley Boydson. Her caregiver, Joseph Conejo, gave her quality of life during the last year of her life and was very special to her. Two other caregivers, Haimy and Helen Gelata, also increased her happiness in her last year, as well as many wonderful neighbors.

Mary Irene's well told stories from life will always be remembered by her family and friends. Arrangements for a celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.