Elizabeth Margaret McGreal

Elizabeth (Lily) McGreal, 92, passed away peacefully on September 15, 2022.  Elizabeth was born on August 22, 1930 in County Longford, Ireland. She was the sixth of ten children of Patrick and Kathleen (nee Doyle) Mahon.  After immigrating from Ireland, she raised her family in the Bronx, and was a loving mother to Mary (Russell), Patrick, Michael (Marcella) and Elizabeth (Gerard).  She was a devoted grandmother to Jael, Mary, Jack, Thomas, Kathleen, Elizabeth (Lulu) and Madeleine, and great-grandmother to Riley. She is survived by her brother Desmond Mahon (Kathleen), sister Nancy Strain (John), and sisters-in-law Sally McGreal and Kathleen Mahon. She is also survived by beloved nieces and nephews for whom she always had a warm cup of tea, and favorite cookies waiting. 

She had a lifelong love of arithmetic and keeping numbers organized.  She encouraged each of her four children to excel at school, giving them a quiet environment for studying and methodically checking all their grade school assignments. When they entered high school and college, and their experiences went beyond her knowledge, she still remained steadfastly supportive.  She also encouraged the participation of neighborhood activities that would broaden their experience beyond academics in scouting, CYO sports, the parish choir,  children’s gardening programs at the NYBG and school trips.  

She was a firm believer that your winter jacket should be long enough to “cover your kidneys”—believing that ensured that you would not get colds. When the styles of winter jackets went to short lengths in the late 70’s and early 80’s, there was many a heated debate about which jacket to buy. 

Once she settled in the Bronx in the late 1950’s, she never strayed too much further, moving to Queens in 2014 and to Setauket (Sunrise Assisted Living) in 2019. While she did not travel much, she encouraged and delighted in the travels of her children and grandchildren. 

Her memory was excellent at all times, and she enjoyed receiving cards and letters from old friends.  She remained lovingly connected to her family in Ireland, to children (now adults) from the Bronx neighborhood, and her grandchildren and their new adventures.  Recently she was proud to be photographed wearing her grandson’s medal from the NYC Marathon.  Anyone who met her would soon know that her greatest pleasure was a “good cup of tea,” her greatest loves her children and grandchildren, and her greatest passion—her treasured independence. She taught us all to take great delight in ordinary comforts. 

The Mass at St. James RC Church will be available through livestream, please click the link below:

https://vimeo.com/event/2496698