1941 - 2026
Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, she was the daughter of the late Virginia (Supley) and John R. Burke. Mary Lou is survived by her daughters, Pamela Mattson and her husband, Daniel Davis, of Hopkinton, and Lucinda Coughlin and her husband, Charlie, of Holliston; her granddaughters, Ella and Caroline Coughlin; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Ronald “Ronnie” Mattson, and her twin brother, Richard T. Burke.
Mary Lou earned her undergraduate degree in education from SUNY Fredonia and began her teaching career on Long Island. She later met Ronnie at the Jug End Resort in the Berkshires, and they married in 1968. The couple settled in East Longmeadow, where they lived for 45 years before moving to Holliston in 2014.
While raising her daughters, Mary Lou was a dedicated stay-at-home mother and volunteered with the East Longmeadow Women’s Club, the College Club of Springfield, and the Twin Hills Country Club Women’s Association. She later earned a master’s degree in education from Springfield College and returned to teaching. She taught fourth grade at Immaculate Conception School in Indian Orchard and third grade at Holy Name in Springfield before retiring in 2004. She was honored with the Catholic Schools Award in 2002 for her commitment to education.
Mary Lou was known for her sense of humor, quick laugh, strength, and resilience. A woman of deep Catholic faith, she was also an avid golfer and belonged to Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow for nearly 40 years. She had a lifelong interest in painting and enjoyed traveling and exploring new places.
Her family remembers vacations to the Thousand Islands, Canada, Florida, California, and Ireland, as well as time spent golfing, visiting Martha’s Vineyard, and taking day trips together.
Funeral services will be held Monday, November 16, beginning at 9 AM at Chesmore Funeral Home, located at 854 Washington Street in Holliston. A Mass will follow at 11 AM at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, located at 8 Church Street in Holliston. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Holliston.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to support Parkinson’s disease research at Mass General Brigham.
