The daughter of a well-known retired teacher Marianne MacGonnagle made it home from America just hours before her mother passed away.
“It was very poignant, she made it home just in time and it was very special to have the whole family together in the house”, said Marianne’s husband and former President of the Wexford Wanderers’ Rugby Club Brian MacGonnagle.
Mrs MacGonnagle (62) had in recent years retired from Loreto Secondary School where she was a popular languages teacher. She was a native of Galway, but had lived in Wexford since 1978.
On Friday night she sadly lost her battle against a rare form of lung cancer called Adenocarcinoma, which is a disease not caused by smoking.
Marianne passed away in her family home at Mulgannon, where she and Brian had lived since they settled in Wexford.
“Her favourite song was Help Me Make it Through The Night and she did just that. She died at 8.40a.m. on Friday morning with all of her family by her side”, explained her husband.
Described as a “home maker first and foremost” Marianne was the much loved mother of Fiona (Hughes), Aideen (Ripley), Marc and Colin. In recent years she had also become a proud grandmother to Aida, Archie, Alice, Isla and Finn.
Brian and Marianne first met in 1972 while she was teaching in Brian’s hometown of Trim, County Meath. Upon Brian’s transfer to the Wexford branch of Bank of Ireland, the couple settled in Mulgannon where they raised a family.
“Being a homemaker was what mattered most to her. She was a wonderful cook, gardener and teacher”, said Brian.
In the early 1990s she returned to teaching and took up a post at the Loreto Secondary School.
French was her primary subject, but she also developed a Spanish course, which she delivered to Transition Year students.
“Marianne taught here for 21 years before she retired in 2011. She left a lasting impression on her students and teaching colleagues as a result of her professionalism, love of subject and, above all else, thoughtfulness and kindness as a person”, said Pricipal Billy O’Shea.

For the full obituary see this week’s Wexford Echo.