Mary Catherine Sheldrick Boyle, age 73, passed away peacefully in New Rochelle, NY, on August 30, 2020, due to lung cancer. She was born August 28, 1947, in Manhattan, to William and Genevieve Sheldrick. She married William Paul Boyle, Jr., in New York in June of 1968.

Mary Catherine attended Notre Dame School of Manhattan and was a proud member of the Class of 1968 at the College of New Rochelle, where she studied speech and took part in many theatrical performances. Some of those shows included classmates who went on to become professional actors, such as Mercedes Ruehl and Myra Turley. She generously gave her time to the college and in 1983 won the Ursula Laurus award for service.
She was a dedicated and devoted mother to Elizabeth, William and Matthew, and supported all of their endeavors at Pelham High School – on the stage, the playing fields, and beyond. Beth earned her doctorate in English at Princeton, where Matt got his undergraduate degree. Billy graduated from Franklin & Marshall College.

M.C. was a lifelong proud Democrat, as both of her parents were key figures in Tammany Hall. Her father was a New York State Assemblyman representing the Upper West Side, and her mother as a receptionist. When she moved to Pelham in 1975, she was one of the very few members of the town’s nascent Democratic Party, which was actually more of a small gathering at the time.

Mary Catherine spent some of her happiest years working at Pelham Memorial High School, where she served as secretary to the principal. “Served,” though, is probably not the right word, as her nickname during her twenty-year tenure was “The Queen.” She was a benevolent monarch, and made lifelong friends among the teachers, administrators and students. (But woe to those who strayed from her good side.) In 2009, she was the proud recipient of Pelham’s school spirit award, a wonderful and fitting culmination of her career.

Mary Catherine is survived by her husband, three children and their spouses, and six grandchildren: Margaret, Lucy, Adelaide, Will, Ellis and Quinn.
Visitation will be held at Pelham Funeral Home on Thursday, September 3, between 5-8 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Friday, September 4 at 10 a.m.

Editor’s note: This obituary was provided by the Pelham Funeral Home.