Class of 1975

Joanna Mieso had a few life changes this past year. Since I was furloughed from my job at a travel company, I’ve been semi-retired. I sold my condo in NJ and moved to Tampa. It’s been a transition but I’m enjoying Florida. I always swore I’d never move to Florida, but I’d had enough of winter. I got my vaccinations and I’m busy exploring the area (as much as is possible during these times of Covid-19). Thankfully my family and friends have been healthy and Covid free.

Mary Hogan Sullivan It has certainly been a challenging year for so many reasons. Hopefully, we will return to some sense of normalcy soon, while retaining the hidden blessings we found during the pandemic. I am happy to report that we are doing well. We are fortunate to have a home in the Western mountains of Maine, where we have spent the bulk of our time since Covid arrived. It is very easy to be socially distant there to say the least. Surprisingly, we discovered that we could manage quite well even in the heart of winter. As a result, we are planning to relocate in Maine permanently in the near future. While both my husband and I are retired, I keep busy by working as a consultant to the national organization that trains and supports local veteran’s treatment courts. We are looking forward to doing some traveling when circumstances permit.

Maureen O’Farrell My God daughter/niece is finishing her second year of medical school and will start clinicals soon. Niece Maggie is a CPA with a Baltimore accounting firm and niece Lizze is a special ed teacher in NYC. I invest in my church, its hybrid classical Catholic school, Hillsdale College which requires Constitution 101 of all students and classical courses for the first two years of college. I’m also supporting a local pregnancy center and a rescue cat, Marley. My mother is 96 and doing well. I am busy with the Republican Women of Baltimore County and my friends and family. Looking forward to herd immunity and a ballgame at Oriole Park at Camden Yards with my brother. Hope everyone is aging gracefully.

Mary Ann Francis All is well here in Northern Virginia. The year has flown by. I had planned a less busy 2020 recreation schedule to focus on home and yard maintenance and repairs, so had no travel plans to cancel. I guess it will be mostly the same again for 2021.  Also I’ve been really busy teaching two classes at the University of Maryland, plus I have a third appointment developing approaches to teaching college students and adults how to use search engines effectively. Right now this is taught almost nowhere so it’s a great project.

Marianne Horstmann English I started a new job in the pet industry with Answers Pet Food which is a small family owned raw pet food company based in Pennsylvania. I am doing Marketing and Education with retailers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. I love this new venture. Even during Covid I was able to keep working. Now since being fully vaccinated Mike and I are able to visit our two Grandchildren in Reston, VA. Our granddaughter, Emma is turning four in June and grandson, Burke will be two in September. We enjoy being with them and leave exhausted. I’ve missed visiting Mary Surano Conaway and her sweet husband John at their lovely home in Naples due to Covid-19. I did ride down to attend Sister Seton Cunneen’s ‘65 funeral and Marita McGrath ‘62 came with me. We had lunch with Betsy Stewart Foley in B- Land after the Cemetery. It was fun catching up and enjoying a nice Spring day in DC. I hope all are well and I hope to see you all soon at our next reunion.

Carol Kolb Phillips We are all healthy so we are lucky. My husband has been working the whole time of the pandemic to keep the business going. I have been meeting with the students virtually all year. I go into school to check books out to them, but they get the luck of the draw – which is whatever I choose for them, usually! Seven of our grandchildren are in New Jersey, another one in Boston and one in Ottawa. Until we had our vaccines, our kids were hesitant to come too close to us. Crazy, isn’t it?  To have our kids telling us where we can go and where we cant!?!  Quite a reversal of roles. It is toughest for our youngest daughter in Canada with her baby.  The border is closed again so we cannot even go up to visit her.  Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom. As I said before, we are lucky.  Business is picking up; we have our health and we have our family. I hope all is well with you and your family.

Cora Darragh It’s surreal that so many of us are not here. I retired in October 2020 and moved to Pittsburgh with my sister Mimi (class of 74). We are sharing a townhouse and trying to be cautious and get thru the pandemic. My children Carmelita (36) and Lucas   (32) are both well. Carmelita is a police officer in Charlotte NC and I am praying for a peaceful next few months. Lucas has been basically out of work for this whole time, working in the hospitality industry. Hopefully will be able to resume in the next few months. I know how fortunate I am and I am hoping to reconnect with some friends for our reunion, whenever that will be. My best to all my classmates and stay safe.

Eleanor “Ellie” O’Brien Sylvan I am so sad that we won’t be hearing from Kathleen Talty anymore. I had a chance to see her a few years ago when I went to a wedding in Baltimore, and I am sorry I didn’t see her more often over the years. I am sure the past 12 months have been strange for all of us but I feel lucky that I have been able to adjust and stay healthy. I was even able to kayak last summer since it has built in social distancing. My big news is that my eldest son and his fiancé are moving to Chicago. I figured they would be on one coast or the other, so I will be very happy to have them nearby. My younger son is still in Seattle but has acknowledged that Chicago will now become the family hub. As for retirement, I can feel myself getting ready. Many of my friends are happily retired and involved in all sorts of organizations. We will see what 2022 brings.

Susan Feenan Sullivan My life on the north shore of MA has been busy working part time at Harborlight Community Partners, a supportive home for elders. Love the residents & staff!  I moved to an over 55 community a few years ago in Wenham, best decision, feels so good to downsize. My three daughters, Laura, Katie and Kelly all have a daughter & son locally which keeps me a busy nana! Trying to keep ahead of the virus updates along with the help of my oldest daughter Laura who practices Family medicine. Hope all is well with you and your family.

Monica McGoldrick I have been blessed working for Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty in Savannah, Georgia where I was recognized as the 2020 agent of distinction in Georgia. The real estate market has been very healthy in Savannah so life is good.

Theresa “Terry” Smalls Murphy This has been a year we’ll all remember. In the midst of the pandemic there were some silver linings, I hope, for all of us. Our daughter, Kate and her husband, Brad, moved up to Huntington Bay, Long Island from Washington, DC in late August and now are expecting their first child in early October. My husband Jeff and son, Kieran, are beleaguered lawyers and now working from our home. Daughter, Maggie, is in NYC working for a hedge fund as a compliance director. After months of not seeing our kids we are often together and happily vaccinated. However, on a personal level, the most impactful event has been the loss of my dear roommate, Kathleen Talty. Talt was a friend since the age of 14, a big sister, although she always reminded me that she was younger than I, a mother hen and a cheerleader, always in my corner – sitting in the first row at concerts, right in front to cheer on all the Belles in the Rat, and helping me to overcome any insecurities I had. Her deep faith, her devotion to her family, her well known pride of her Irish heritage, her love of beer, Tab, Diet Coke and M & M’s, and her intense loyalty to those in her “camp” were just some of the defining characteristics we all can probably remember….and cherish. I pray that Talt is now happily united with her dear friend, Seton Cunneen, in the heavenly realm where they are drinking one down together and helping us along this path of life.

Mary Surano Conaway Thank you, I appreciate you all sharing your news with our classmates. We may be small but we are mighty! I will share some of the highlights and lowlights, starting with the highlights. John and I continue to enjoy our retirement in Naples, FL. I am playing tennis five days a week and loving it. I am still involved with USTA (United States Tennis Association) I currently serve on the USTA Florida Section Board of Directors. I also serve on the USTA National Training Advisory Group providing Training and Leadership Development for Volunteers. Zoom has been a great connector during a time in our lives when travel has been limited. Our family continues to grow. We now have five grandchildren. Our daughter Katie and husband Carl have three boys, Carl (14) who will be entering high school in the fall, John (10) who keeps Katie busy with multiple travel sports and William (2 1/2) who keeps Katie young. Our son Kevin and wife Erin have Maddie (5) who will be going to kindergarten in the fall and Henry John Conaway (11 months) AKA Harry will turn (1) in June. Our family is precious to us and thankfully we have been able to see them a few times this past year. As for as the low lights go, I am still heartbroken over the passing of my partner in crime Kathleen Talty, not only for the Trinity news but we have always been thought of together as the class president and student government president. With this past crazy presidential election, I really missed talking to Talty about politics and life as you know she never held back her opinions and I loved her for it. I am also very sad about the passing of our class of 75 advisor and my sister and best friend, Sister Seton Cunneen. Seton was a part of our family, our children and grandchildren called her Aunt Seton. We both grew up in South Orange, NJ and our families knew each other. When I came to Trinity in 1971, since I had a car, I would drive Seton home on breaks, spending all that car time together formed a friendship that would last 50 years. Seton really had a big impact on my life and I can truly say I would not be the person I am today if it were not for her influence on me. Seton was the epitome of kindness, love, friendship and social justice. Seton was a fierce champion for everyone who she cared about. She was loyal and always made you feel valued. I will always miss Seton but will try to carry on her legacy of love, kindness and loyalty. Photo: Mary and Sister Seton Cunneen

Barbara Fallon wrote in that BJ and I continue to be happy in retirement, healthy and vaccinated as are our kids. Alyssa finished her Masters at Loyola and is teaching eight grade English in Baltimore County. Remote was hard; hybrid is harder. Hopefully that won’t last for the whole next year. Dan and his girlfriend live in Framingham where he works in insurance; an MBA may be in his future. Looking forward to sailing past Long Island sound this summer if restrictions are eased. Feeling grateful for our health and that of family and friends. Missed our 50th!

Gold Class of 1975

Susan Feenan Sullivan’s email was filled with news of her move to an over-55 co-op in Wenham, MA where there are lots of activities. Susan continues to work full-time as health insurance underwriter and volunteers every other weekend at Care Dimensions. She celebrated her 65^th birthday in style with her three daughters at Cliffhouse in Maine. Her daughters live nearby to Susan so she gets to see them and her five grandchildren.

Maria Mahon Stallings, VA, sent a brief note. She retired in September and is enjoying retirement. Her two oldest children live nearby in Northern VA while the youngest recently moved to North Carolina.

Cora Darragh, WV, has been a physician assistant for the past 40 years, but plans to move to part-time status in April. She is looking to retire next year and hopes to do some traveling. Her children, Carmelita (34) and Lucas (30) live nearby and she sees them often.   Cora also gets together with her sisters, all of whom are Trinity grads.

Home sales are doing well in Savannah, GA where Monica McGoldrick was named one of Top Producers in her real estate company and is now a member of the Distinguished Sales Society. Congrats! Monica had lunch with Mary Surano Conaway and her husband John when they stopped in Savannah on their way down to Naples, FL.

Northern VA is still home to Mary Ann Francis. Last year was a busy one for Mary Ann.  She attended many Nationals’ baseball games, lots of theater and she took her annual trip to the Napa Valley Film Festival.  She teaches Open Source Intelligence and Search Literacy to graduate students at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland and also works on Saturdays at the Dizzy Pig BBQ Supply Store in Manassas, helping people to cook better BBQ and having cooking demonstrations.

Plans of retirement are on Joanna Mieso’s mind these days. She is tired of the cold and snowy NYC winters and Florida is looking as a possible relocation spot. Meanwhile, she continues working as a Training Director for a luxury travel agency in NYC.

Naples, Florida is the retirement spot where Mary Surano Conaway and her husband, John, recently moved after living in Northern VA for several decades. They are loving life in Florida where Mary is playing more tennis and is enjoying her new passion of Orangetheory.    Mary and John’s children live in Northern VA.  Mary’s daughter Katie and her husband Carl welcomed son number three in 2018. Young William joins older brothers, Carl (11) and John (7).    Mary’s son, Kevin, and his wife, Erin, are parents to Maddie, who is three.

Marianne Horstman English, PA, continues working in the pet business, specializing in dog nutrition.  According to Marianne, there are lot of questions about dog nutrition and if any classmate needs help in this area, please get in touch with her. Outside of work, Marianne keeps busy with tennis and visiting her granddaughter, Emma, who will be two in June.  She also plans to head down to Florida to visit with Mary and John Conaway to celebrate her birthday in June.

Barb Fallon, CT, retired from her oncology practice four years ago.  Barb stated that she is grateful for a wonderful career with staff and colleagues and inspiring patients and their families who allowed her to care for them. She is, though, now enjoying her unscheduled time which allows her more time with family and friends. Her son, Dan, graduated from Holy Cross and is working in the insurance field. Her daughter Alyssa graduated from Loyola, MD and spent two years with AmeriCorps in Baltimore. Barb and BJ are heading off for a three-week safari in Southern Africa and Alyssa is joining them on the safari. Barb ended her note with an invitation to visit her and BJ in Old Lyme, CT.

The email from Carol Kolb Phillips, NJ, included both sad and happy news. Carol’s younger sister by eight years, Tricia, died suddenly right before Christmas.  Tricia had struggled with alcoholism for a number of years. Please accept our sympathy, Carol. On the happy news front, Carol and Hap are looking forward to the arrival of grandchildren eight and nine! Hap is still working full-time and Carol continues to run a private school library on a part-time basis.

Lynn Clark, Ohio, wrote that she has finally settled into her small legal practice in Akron, Ohio. However, she seems to spend more time serving on various boards and working with non-profit housing organizations.  She is looking forward to the idea of retirement.

Diane Peters Moore is an ordained priest in the African American Catholic Congregation. She was ordained 28 years ago and serves as the National Director of Denomination Development.

As for me, Kathleen Talty, life continues to be good in Baltimore where I continue my legal practice and church involvement. The cast of little ones in the family expanded last year with the addition of Lucy in April, 2018, who joined “big Sister” Anna (5), both of whom are the daughters of my nephew, David. In June, I head out west and will spend some time in Denver with some dear high school friends.

Next year marks our 45^th Reunion from Trinity! It will be great if we have a grand turn out. So, please plan ahead, reach out to classmates and encourage them to attend.

Deborah Walter Balaban writes that she is knee deep in packing and moving.

Mary Ann Francis wants us to know that she still lives in N. VA in the beautiful Lake Barcroft neighborhood. After a short stint in government consulting, she is back to her professional “home,” mortgage finance technology, as an independent consultant. She is into competition BBQ cooking for fun and teaches classes every so often. She would love to hear from Class of ’75 friends anytime.

Linda Esker wasn’t able to be at the opening of the chapel because of business travel. She said she always loved the atmosphere inside Trinity’s chapel. It is so cool and you feel protected there. Linda has been doing a lot of business travel this year for a NASA project. She has always loved working with NASA. It is so forward-looking and full of possibilities for the world, although working with the government can be frustrating now that everything is such a political intrigue and game for the people who should be leading this country into a bright future. Her life has settled down a bit personally after going through the illnesses and deaths of her parents over the last five-plus years. She is looking forward to her 60th birthday with a little more peacefulness in her life and wondering how she ever got that old. Linda shares she had an image when she was in college of “elderly” ladies over 60 and that surely doesn’t match how she looks, or how she feels, now. However, she is reminded of her aging status every time a friend retires or is laid off. Her husband, Bill, has survived about five rounds of layoffs during the past year. They wonder if they’ll still be employed next spring when both their projects are dying down; they will have to find other projects within their companies. They don’t have pension plans so are trusting the financial system to keep them going throughout retirement.

Linda says she’s not ready to be put out to pasture yet; she’s too busy enjoying what she’s doing. Besides work, they are also busy with golf, travel and home remodeling. “We’ve owned our home for almost 30 years now and so many things are looking rather tired.” She must be watching too much HGTV! By God’s grace she feels fortunate that she is doing well this year and she prays that every one of the Gold Class of ’75 is able to say the same.

Martha Zito GaRey writes that she and Dan just celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary! Still working four days a week, in theory they have more time for fun, like hiking, snow shoeing and gardening. But, in reality, “it gives us an extra day to finish the laundry or pick up the items we need at work.” Life is less hectic, though. Martha is still in the Rogue Community College Band, playing clarinet. She reports, “still working to improve my technique and sound better. We are a community band and have players from teens to 80s. This makes it a lot of fun for me. After listening to just my practicing, Dan enjoys the concerts.” Martha’s garden is in and she says it has been enjoyed by hungry, hungry robins and possibly raccoons. “They have eaten almost all the fruit and broken and bent the raspberry plants. I think my mistake was making the garden more inviting by actually weeding and making some wood-chipped pathways.” They visited their children, Seth and Julia, around Mother’s Day and were treated to one of those special hikes in the hills overlooking the Columbia River. Beautiful wildflowers, wide open vistas and good conversations accompanied just a little puffing to get to the top.

For Cora Darragh, it has been a difficult year after losing her mom and then her uncle, Fr. Paul Savage, suddenly. “He was a huge part of our family, and was just taken away so soon after losing my mom. Now we are experiencing closing out the family home that has also been so much a part of our family’s lives. It has been an eye opener to go through all of the pictures and artifacts of our parents’ lives before they met and married and to reminisce with family of all those early years; lots and lots of good memories.”

Cora is still working as a PA for WVU Hospitals in Morgantown. She has been there 18 years now, and although it continues to be stressful and challenging, she does feel fortunate to be able to be skilled at taking care of people. She feels privileged to be part of so many families’ lives. Cora does yearn for the days when she doesn’t have to work as much and can travel more. Hopefully, she can keep her health to enjoy that time in the future. Cora’s children are young adults still trying to find their niche. Carmelita (28) lives in Charlotte, NC, and Lucas (25) recently moved to Ashville, NC. Cora will spend her 60th birthday in Asheville with both of them. She sends good thoughts and wishes to our classmates, is looking forward to our next Reunion and hopes everyone can make it.

Linda Cunningham writes she really doesn’t have much to report. She’s in her 38th year of her career at FTC and plans to retire in 2015. She’s still unmarried but feels abundantly blessed that her aged parents are well and that her sister won her fight with myeloma a decade ago. She also counts her time spent at Trinity among her immeasurable blessings. “My most important blessing is being a Christian and my lifelong quest has been to share the God-kind of love (agape) for all.”

Paula Kielich writes that earlier this summer she vacationed with her sisters Andrea ’71 and Chris ’73 at their condo in Ketchum, ID. Not long after the visit, wildfires ravaged the area. The fire was stopped a mile from their home, but the trails they hiked were totally burned. “The town was saved and no lives were lost; everything else will come back over time.” Paula sees Marianne Horstmann English often as she is the manager of the local Pet Valu store. Paula’s nonprofit organization, Pals For Life, continues strong in its 28th year. “We are fostering a feral kitten that was living in the engine of a car. She has come a long way from very scared and skinny and now supervises me by lying on my shoulder.”

Terry Smalls Murphy writes that all is well. Jeff is still commuting to NY every day. He is a partner at a global law firm which has had many reinventions. Their son (26) is about to begin his last year at Fordham Law School. Kate (22) just graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in computer science and will start working for Deloitte and Touche in September. She’ll be in their consulting area and will be a tech risk consultant. She and her college roommate will be living in Arlington. Terry reports, “We were able to have lunch with Kathleen Talty and Maria Mahon Stallings in June when we were scouting out apartments and enjoyed dinner the same day with Ann Courtemanche and Susan Flood Burk ’76. I’m happy to think there are many Trinity women who might influence Kate or, at least, provide her with an occasional dinner.” Maggie (19) is returning as a sophomore to Skidmore College where she is a lacrosse player. She spent two weeks in Vaalwater, South Africa this June with a group out of Baltimore called the South African Lacrosse Project. She was one of about 20 college students who acted as lacrosse coaches at a camp for the children of the townspeople. It was an amazing experience and one she hopes to repeat. Terry is busy with family but says her job description is changing. She feels highly engaged over the summer months but will see an increase in time when all are away. She sings in the Huntington Choral Society, her parish church in a small group or alone, and with a small Episcopal choir on Sundays. She has been studying voice for the past 15 years or so and reports it is her passion. Often during the summer months, Nantucket Terry visits with Linda Lefemine Juliano and her family and Catherine Leary Bradley and her family.

Ellie O’Brien Sylvan writes all is well at her end and not much has changed since last year. Most importantly, her sons are doing well. Older son, Zachary, is working on his PhD in math at Berkeley. Younger son, Gideon, graduated from college last year as a Chinese major. He is currently working in Seattle in real estate investment, but Ellie suspects there is some travel/work in his near future. Both are in great cities to visit! Ellie’s work at Mobile Mark continues to go well. The company is growing, with new products and markets, so her job continues to be interesting. Ellie enjoys sailing and kayaking in the summer.

Marianne Horstmann English is the manager of Pet Valu in Wayne, PA. Work, work, work! Bridget is happy at National Geographic as an editor in the book division.

Kathleen Talty writes with a very heavy heart to share the news about the passing of Mary T. Connor who died on Tuesday, October 8, after bravely and privately battling cancer for almost two-and-a-half years. Mary lived in NYC with her husband, Mark Gallagher, and their four beautiful children. Alex is a recent BC grad, Catherine attends GU, Carolyn attends Columbia and Laura is a freshman in high school at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Kathleen has also been very busy with her parish and with work.

As for me, it has been a year of highs and lows. We celebrated my 60th birthday in style with a big party, and then John suffered a heart attack one week later. Luckily we were right around the corner from Reston Hospital where he had a catheterization and a stent put in. I am happy to say John is doing great and has a new lease on life, as do I. As we are all getting older, unfortunately many of us are facing medical challenges. Most importantly we have to remember that each day is a gift and each moment is precious. So, my fellow Trinity Sisters, take the time to let your family know how much you love them.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

Love to all,

Mary Surano Conaway