Sonna mourns passing of Maura Conroy

The sudden death of Maura Conroy, Sonna, Slanemore, Mullingar at the Regional Midland Hospital on Tuesday June 9th, 2009 came as a great shock to her family, friends and neighbours.Maura who was a native of Painstown in Milltown, was 68-years-old and was a well known figure in her local community. Her first love was drama and she was a key member of the Sonna Drama Group, where her talents shone through not just in acting but also in directing.Maura was a keen gardener, who took great pride in her garden, and when not tending to her plants or treading the boards, Maura enjoyed travelling to distant shores.She was a person who took great comfort from her faith, belonging to a local rosary group, and always kept her faith at the very centre of her life and work.Maura was also a keen Westmeath supporter and this was the first week the team were playing that a maroon and white flag was not displayed at the gates of her home.Maura was at the heart of a big family and her greatest enjoyment in recent times came from her grandchildren. Just as she had done with her own children, Maura encouraged her grandchildren to participate in everything and was never happier than when she was watching them at sports, dancing and drama.Maura"s death leaves her husband Oliver, sons Oliver, Gerard, Declan, Niall, Alan and Fergal, daughters Olivia and Mary, grandchildren Lauren, Emma, Sarah, Adam, Aoife, Tadhg, Rían, Sadbh and Poppy, brothers Johnny and Tommy, sisters Kitty Commons, Betty Hannon and Olive Rizzo, as well as daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and a wide circle of friends all broken hearted.She was waked in her family home at Sonna on Wednesday evening, June 10 and her remains were removed to the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Sonna on Thurday evening. Parish priest Fr John Nally, returned early from Fatima to concelebrate the Funeral Mass on Friday, June 12 with Fr William Fitzsimmons, Miltown and Fr Declan Shannon, Longford. The remains were interred in the adjoining cemetery.In a fitting tribute to Maura and the life she led, a verse was read out at the Mass by her family called 'Our Mother', which read:'Your performance of a lifetime, where you played the leading role, you produced the perfect story, with kindness, love and soul. Today is your ovation as we watch the curtain fall, and you move onto your great reward, to the greatest show of all.'