Mary Elizabeth Prendergast née Loomis
August 15, 1930 - February 24, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
Mary Prendergast died peacefully at the Philadelphia home of one of her daughters at the age of 94 on February 24, 2025. Her daughter Rya was there to comfort her in her last hours.

She was born on August 15, 1930 in Reading, PA to Joseph and Gertrude (Stoeber) Loomis.
After high school, she worked for the Bell Telephone Co. as an operator and trainer. At the age of 23 she met her future husband, Joseph Patrick Prendergast, and they married on June 5, 1954. Soon after their marriage they moved to Philadelphia and had their first child. In 1959, they
moved to Woodbury, NJ and soon thereafter to Merchantville, NJ, where they raised their nine children.

Mary was a devoted mother of nine, grandmother of 28, and great-grandmother of 21. She traveled to her children's homes for a birth or adoption, basking in the joy of new life and assisting with the chores that a new baby brings. Mary would often say, "Love is the only thing
that multiplies as it divides" and she lived her life accordingly.

Mary was also devoted to the Catholic Church throughout her life. Her Christian principles were always apparent in how she treated each and every person she came to know. A gentle and quiet spirit, she embodied Christ's teachings of love and compassion to strangers and friends alike.

Mary had an unassuming ability to teach, counsel, and direct. She taught piano to many young people at the Merchantville Conservatory of Music, including some of her own. She was very generous with her time throughout her life and had a strong sense of service. She was very active in the Cursillo movement of the church and served as a Eucharistic minister. She provided transportation to those in need, even at the age of 90, when she reported that she needed to help the "old people get to church."

In her later years, Mary traveled extensively with her husband Pat, starting with a 25th anniversary cruise to Bermuda in 1979, a gift from their children. By 1990, they began their travels in earnest with a trip to Ireland. Over the next 20 years the two made trips to Canada, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Morocco and Portugal, Austria and Germany, England and Scotland, Russia, the Grand Canyon, Thailand and Hong Kong, Scandinavia, the Hawaiian Islands, Egypt, and a tour of the Alaskan waterways. Traveling also included visits to their children's homes in Vermont, Oregon, the Carolinas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Joseph Patrick Prendergast, her brothers Edward Loomis and Donald Loomis, her son-in-law Rodman Boston II, and her grandson Rafferty Boston. She is survived by her sisters-in-law Eleanor Loomis and Patricia Loomis; and by her
children Joseph (Karen Davis), Rya (Will) Martin, Amy (Jimmy) Helliesen, Brian (Margot), Laura (Greg) Pilato, Isabel Boston, Sara (William) Cruze, David (Shawna), and Elaine (Neal) Van Hook; and many many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Catholic Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, 11:00 a.m., at St.
Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church at 4625 Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, PA. A reception will follow at the Church Hall.