Mary "Molly" Chatlos, entered into eternal rest on Thursday, June 24, 2004, at Bridgeport Hospital with her loving family at her side. "Every once in a while God sends a soul that will gently touch our hearts." Born Mary Ester Smith in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, on April 25, 1943, she was the daughter of the late James Donald Smith and the late Catherine Smith Dickerson, and the stepdaughter of the late John Alvin Dickerson. After her father's death during World War II, she emigrated to the United States in 1948 with her family. She grew up on the East side of Bridgeport and attended Blessed Sacrament grammar school and later graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1961. Over the course of her lifetime, she worked at Clover Donuts in Bridgeport and White Plains, N.Y., and the Silver Star Restaurant in Norwalk. In 1981, Molly found her calling and became an EMT for the Town of Stratford. While volunteering, she was employed as a supervisor for the Bridgeport Ambulance Service. She transitioned her EMT skills and then worked for St. Vincent's Medical Center, all the while, still volunteering numerous hours to humanity as an EMT. She has been part of the St. Vincent's family for the past 15 years, where she started working in the Emergency Department before transferring to the GI Suite and then retiring this past February. Caring and giving were her life and dedication to St. Vincent's and Stratford EMS won her the respect of her colleagues and everyone she encountered. Her family and friends came to admire her determination and fortitude during her courageous battle with cancer. Right to the end, Molly maintained that spark of wit and character we all came to respect and admire. She will forever be in our hearts. Her sisters, Elaine Marko and Patricia Edo; and her faithful companion, Dubee, predeceased her. She was a loving single mother who raised, and is survived by, her three devoted children, Kathleen Anne and her husband, Michael Fernandes, of Shelton, Rhonda Marie Chatlos of Stratford, and Joseph Chatlos and his wife, Amy, of Pueblo, Colo.; her loving grandchildren, Shannon Elizabeth and Joshua Reed Chatlos of Pueblo, Colo., and Robert Manuel Fernandes of Stratford. She is also survived by her brother, James Donald Smith and his wife, Connie, of El Dorado Hills, Calif.; sisters, Linda Bailey and her husband, Robert, of Woodbury, and Virginia Parkhurst and her husband, Ronald, of Woodbury; a brother, John Dickerson and his wife, Juanita, of New York; sister-in-law, Alana Ligouri Quinones and her husband, Pablo, of Bridgeport; her great-uncle, Kevin Magee of Bridgeport; her longtime friend and aunt to her children, Jackie DeStefano of Hendersonville, N.C.; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends who helped make her last days the best possible. The family would like to thank all who took the time to make Molly's last days treasured ones. All the love and support that she received made it possible for her to continue laughing and enjoying life to the fullest until it was time for her to say goodbye to all of us. Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Monday, June 28, 2004, at 10 a.m. DIRECTLY at St. Mark Church, 500 Wigwam Lane, Stratford. Interment in Riverside Cemetery, Shelton. Friends may call on Sunday from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pistey Funeral Home, 2155 Main Street, Stratford. In lieu of flowers, those who so desire may make contributions in Molly's memory to: Swim Across the Sound, c/o St. Vincent's Medical Center, 2800 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06606.

Published in the Connecticut Post from 6/25/2004 - 6/26/2004.

Press the "BACK" button to return to the previous page