Tuesday, May 14, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
POTSDAM -- Margaret Ann Mellon Curtin, 97, passed away on January 28, 2024, at the Lourdes Center, St. Patrick’s Manor, Framingham, Massachusetts.
Margaret was born in Chateaugay, New York on October 27, 1926, to Kathryn (Burke) and Casper Mellon.
She lived in Potsdam, NY for 57 years, from 1962 to 2019 and wintered on Hutchinson Island, Florida from 1999 to 2019.
In October 2019, she moved to Westwood, MA to be near family.
Margaret was predeceased in May 1992 by her loving husband, C. John Curtin, after 45 years of marriage. She also was predeceased by her granddaughter, Shanna Putnam and husband, Travis Clark; sister, Kathryn and husband, Edwin Knox; brother, William; and brother, Donald and wife, Joan Mellon.
Margaret is survived by her six children: Kathryn (William) Putnam, Potsdam and Stuart, Florida; Maureen Curtin, Saratoga Springs, NY; Helen (Leonard) Gallagher, Hyannis, MA; Mary (William) Fitzgerald, Ashburn, Virginia; Eileen (Mark) Mamo, Stuart, FL; and William (Renee) Curtin, Wellesley, MA; 15 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; brother, John E. (Elizabeth) Mellon, Exeter, New Hampshire; and several nieces and nephews.
Margaret enlisted in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps at the State University in Plattsburgh, NY in 1943, an accelerated wartime program through which she received her Registered Nursing license in March 1946 and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1947.
In 1974, she earned a Masters of Education degree from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. She was a School Nurse and Health Education Teacher at Potsdam Central School for 29 years and, prior to that, a nurse in multiple hospitals.
Margaret was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society from 1975 to 1991, serving as Secretary and Membership Chair.
She was an active parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam.
Margaret was a devoted and loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She was a role model to her children and grandchildren, continuing her education throughout her life.
She had a sharp mind, always seeking and amazing everyone with her knowledge of the world. She traveled extensively, visiting more than 25 countries after her retirement in 1991.
She had an enthusiastic greeting for those she knew, and she sought to fully get to know new acquaintances. She was known for her kindness and empathy and she warmly welcomed others into her family fold.
Throughout her life and with her husband John, they successfully juggled raising six children, whose ages are within a ten-year range, while working full time and often hosting both planned and spontaneous entertainments in their home. Their loving union was most visible when they danced beautifully across a ballroom floor.
A Mass of Christian Burial and celebration of life will be held at a later date in Chateaugay, NY.
Donations in Margaret’s memory may be made to Lourdes Center, St. Patrick’s Manor, 863 Central St., Framingham, MA 01701; St. Mary’s Church, 17 Lawrence Ave., Potsdam, NY 13676; or St. Patrick’s Church, 132 West Main St., P.O. Box 908, Chateaugay, NY 12920.
