Rosemary Kathleen Weidner Mahoney passed away on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at her home in Brookline, MA, surrounded by family after losing her second battle with ovarian cancer. Born August 24, 1935 to Walter and Rose Weidner in Chelsea, MA, Rosemary was predeceased by her brother, Walter, and is survived by her husband, John "Kevin" Mahoney, her four children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren. A graduate of Mount St. Joseph grammar and high school, Rosemary went on to graduate from Regis College (1953) and earn a Masters in Mathematics from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (1957). Although her mother died when she was fourteen, that didn't stop Rosemary from taking care of her brother and father, going to school and holding down a job. From the ribbon counter at Woolworths (where they paid her with an envelope full of change (.64/hr), to using her math acumen with a Harvard University project mapping the Jetstream, Rosemary was always motivated to do the best for herself and her family. Staying in Washington, D.C., after graduating from Catholic University, Rosemary enjoyed the excitement of D.C. in the Kennedy era. In those days the Catholic Club was the social conduit, not Meetup! It was at a Catholic Club gathering that Senator Jack F. Kennedy took her hand and called her Mary. She vowed never to wash her hand and to change her name. Fortunately, she broke both those vows. Following graduation Rosemary took a job at the NSA. She took her oath to safeguard national secrets seriously and was quite alarmed to come home from a trip to Europe (ahh, "Aida" at an outdoor amphitheater, attending Mass celebrated by the Pope!) with her girlfriends, to find the FBI at her door questioning her loyalty. Unbeknownst to her, two gentlemen from her sometime carpool had defected to Russia with a collection of secret information the same day she left for Europe. "I did not SURFACE in London," she exclaimed indignantly and was quickly cleared from suspicion. Despite that experience ending with the FBI interview, Rosemary has always claimed that Kevin is a double agent just waiting for her to give up her secrets. Rosemary and Kevin met on a blind date. "He's funny" she was told, and a year and half later, they married in 1962. During this time, and with Kevin's encouragement, Rosemary left the NSA to pursue a teaching career in math. Rosemary's first job was at Georgetown Visitation, an all-girls high school that was run by cloistered nuns. Rosemary always wondered if it was quite fair to have a nun sit in the back of the interview room saying the rosary while salary was being negotiated. Rosemary told them that she was newly married and planned on starting a family right away. The nuns, not having hired a young married woman before solemnly offered to pray on it. Their prayers worked! Alicia Kathleen was born four days after graduation. Rosemary and Kevin remained in D.C. until Kevin graduated Georgetown Law. Kevin accepted a great job offer from the law firm of Harris Beach & Wilcox in his hometown, and they moved to Rochester, NY, where they stayed until 2002. The mother of four children Rosemary excelled at corralling rambunctious bodies, encouraging sibling friendship and creating a warm and beautiful home. Rosemary was an excellent cook and Kevin & Rosemary enjoyed hosting their friends. The years were filled with theme family vacations (e.g., The Revolutionary War, dude ranches, the three great canyons) and then beach vacations as the kids got older. Rosemary returned to teaching high school (St. Agnes), then college math (Monroe Community College). When a computer lab opened at MCC, Rosemary volunteered to be one of the instructors. More than once she claimed she was just a chapter ahead of her students. As a teacher she was strict but did everything she could to inspire and encourage her students, even those sitting at the back of the classroom. It was not uncommon for Rosemary to bring her books to the beach to plan the semester's lessons, and quiz her kids on social events she could use to spice up her problem sets. As the children grew up and moved away, Rosemary and Kevin decided to follow their inclination for big city life and move to Boston, MA. They settled in Brookline in 2002 in a beautiful apartment overlooking the gorgeous parklands of Jamaica Pond. From there they looked after grandchildren, enjoyed Boston cultural offerings, and frequently gathered with friends and family for dinners out and grandchild sporting events. They traveled too. Destinations included China, Italy, Greece, Ireland and South Africa among other places. Politics were never far from their minds and they regularly travelled to New Hampshire to promote democrats running for Congressional office. If she can, Rosemary will be doing her utmost to see a Democrat elected next November! Rosemary was to all who met her, a wonderful conversationalist, a bright light, a caring and compassionate presence, and one of those unforgettable people whose memory always elicits a smile. Those of us who know and love Rosemary will miss many things about her. Without exception we are all better human beings for having our lives intersect with hers. A viewing is scheduled from 4:00pm 7:00pm for January 2, 2020 at Bell-O'Dea Funeral Home, 376 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445. A funeral mass is scheduled for 10:00am on Friday, January 3, 2020, at St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline, MA, to be followed by a graveside service at Walnut Hills Cemetery, 96 Grove Street, Brookline. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Rosemary W. Mahoney to support cancer research and patient care at: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.dana-faber.org/gift