In Memory of

Fionnghuala

Lavery

(Dallaghan)

Obituary for Fionnghuala Lavery (Dallaghan)

Beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and wife, Fionnghuala Patricia Lavery, widow of John Phillip Lavery, passed away among family on the evening of January 21. Born Fionnghuala Patricia Dallaghan to Thomas Fitzgerald and Maureen Dallaghan in Dublin Ireland on April 6,1933, Fionnghuala (pronounced “Finula”) was educated at Catholic schools and earned certification as a Montessori teacher from Trinity College, Dublin. She went on to run a small school with her cousin Mary Kennedy, (m. Killeen). During this time she married, and she and her late husband, John Lavery, resided in Glenageary, where their four children were born. The family emigrated to the United States (Concord, Massachusetts) in the fall of 1966. In Concord, Fionnghuala raised her family and assisted her husband in running The Country Store of Concord. Along with her children, Fionnghuala developed a strong connection to the outdoors, enjoying skiing, skating, camping and the ocean, the latter particularly during the two summers when she and her husband managed a branch of The Country Store in Nantucket, MA. In 1970, the family moved to Connecticut, eventually settling in Weatogue, a section of Simsbury, where they established the family home, Willow Pond Farm. Life in Weatogue centered around family, new and old friends, and horses. Fionnghuala enjoyed working on the farm, gardening, always with a dog at her side. With her husband, children and grandchildren, she also enjoyed wading and kayaking in the Farmington River, which flows along the edge of Willow Pond Farm. Fionnghuala also spent much time assisting her husband in running the Carroll Reed Ski Shop in Simsbury. Eventually, John and Fionnghuala opened their own store, Finula’s, which thrived for over twenty years. A life-long love of learning led Fionnghuala to take photography courses at the University of Hartford and become an accomplished photographer. Later, she developed a keen interest in antiques and collectibles, purchasing and restoring items for gifts and to place in her store. Family was at the center of Fionnguala’s life; she gave tirelessly of her time to raise her children and help raise her four grandchildren, encouraging each of them in whatever interests they pursued. Almost every year Fionnghuala would travel back to Ireland to visit with her family and childhood friends, often traveling with them to the continent, particularly to Paris or to visit relatives in Italy. In later years, she spent more and more of her time abroad with her Sister Mavis and cousin Mary in Roundstone, Connemara, painting and enjoying the landscape. Fionnghuala is survived by her children Ciaran Jonathan Lavery, Louisa Anna Maria Lavery Mayock, Patrick Cecil Lavery, and Stephen Fitzgerald Lavery, and by her grandchildren Roghan Mayock, Annabelle Mayock, Finn Mayock and Emmy-Lou Mayock. She is also survived by her sisters Mavis Redmond and Anne Duggan of Dublin, Ireland and by her brother Stephen Dallaghan of Wales UK. She will be forever in our hearts. There is to be a Memorial Mass at St Catherine of Siena in West Simsbury in the Spring.