Marie C. (Kearney) Millette

Marie Claire (Kearney) Millette, 89, of Sandy Hook, CT, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Marie was born in Boston on June 3, 1933, the eldest child to Margaret Gallagher and John Kearney.

Marie grew up in Dorchester and went to Gate of Heaven High in South Boston. She spent the weekends of her youth dancing with her friends, going to Carson Beach in Dorchester, and taking her sister for Swan boat rides. Marie married her high school sweetheart with whom she had five cherished children. In the early 1970s, she went back to school for her nursing degree and then met the love of her life, Joseph Pidala. Her family and loved ones were some of her favorite parts of a life that she filled with great adventures.

A lover of the outdoors, Marie spent every moment she could exploring in nature. From hiking to parasailing to windsurfing to whale watching from a helicopter – from Hawaii to Alaska to Wyoming to Virgin Gorda – there were no limits to the adventures she sought throughout her entire life. To celebrate her 80th birthday, she went white water rafting with family in Colorado, riding the cog railway and panning for gold. She spent hours swimming in the ocean with her family in Cape Cod. One of her favorite places to enjoy the outdoors was at her lakehouse with Joe on Lake Ossipee in New Hampshire. She spent many happy summers there alongside Eddie and Pat, enjoying water sports on the lake by day and campfires by night with friends and family.  She and Joe enjoyed the great outdoors together, kayaking and canoeing amongst the loons, and having a close encounter with a moose. Marie’s love of water sports carried late into her life, and she continued to enjoy kayaking with a good friend until just last year.

A woman of culture, Marie loved music, traveling, and food. She attended many rock concerts, seeing Queen, The Who, and the Rolling Stones, among others. She loved dancing the night away at Moseley’s with Joe, Peggy, Tom, Bob, and Ginny. Travel was another great adventure for her: she explored Italy with Joe, Ireland with friends, and found as many chocolate truffles as possible throughout Paris and London with her daughter. Marie had a sweet tooth like no other, and was a fantastic baker, treating her family to many different desserts (especially cheesecakes!) throughout the years.

While Marie loved adventuring all over the world, she also found many great adventures right at home. She loved playing the piano with a latte nearby. To get her caffeine fix, she had an uncanny knowledge of what time every single Dunkin’ within a 20-minute radius would close. She loved playing games, enjoying fun-filled days of Mahjong with her friends. She played for countless hours with her grandchildren, playing hide and seek, putting on plays, singing songs, and reading books.

Marie is survived by Elaine and John Kincart, Cindy and Chris Dallar, Laurel and Mike Abdo, and Sean and Suzanne Millette, and her grandchildren: Brianna and Conor Kincart, Nicole and Kimberly Dallar, Ryan and Jessica Abdo and Stephen Millette. She is also survived by her sister Margaret Scecina, brother Robert Kearney, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her partner Joe, her son Stephen Millette, her parents, and her brothers Bernard, Edward, and Jack. 

So “scooby doo”, “blah blah blah”, and “sayonara” - she’s “hitting the dusty trail”.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, June 19 from 2-5pm at Bethel Funeral Home (215 Greenwood St, Bethel, CT)

A mass of burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 20 at 10:30AM at St. Rose of Lima Church (46 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT). Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery (Bethel)

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