Bridget Mary (“Bea”) Callaghan (Farley) died Oct. 1, not long after celebrating her 98th birthday.
Callaghan had dementia in her final years but never lost her sense of humor or strong spirit, her family said.
Callaghan is survived by her sister, Christine; her children, John Callaghan, Mary Callaghan (Michael), Geraldine Cheverko, Michael (Teresa) Callaghan and Patricia (Patrick) Carberry; as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and other relatives here and in Ireland.
Callaghan was born Sept. 19, 1926, in Aughnacliffe, County Longford, Ireland, to the late John Joe Farley and Mary Coyle. Her family said she was the middle child of nine, and loved to talk about her time growing up in Aughamore with her brothers and sisters.
Callaghan left Ireland in 1949 to find a job in America. She was very homesick but soon found employment and started her new life, her family said. Later that year, she used her savings to furnish an apartment in Hollis, Queens, for her parents and younger siblings.
She worked as a nanny and nurse’s aide for years.
She met her future husband, Jimmy Callaghan, in Manhattan in 1950 and they were married in St. Vincent Ferrer Church in September 1952. They raised their family in St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in the Bronx. They also spent many years in Leeds, N.Y. They were married for over 50 years until his death in June 2003.
Callaghan lived in Katonah until her death, just up the hill from St. Mary’s where she attended daily Mass for 20 years. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, at stjude.org
Family and friends were received at Clark Associates Funeral Home in Katonah on Thursday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, located at 55 Valley Road, Katonah, Friday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne.