Mary Terry: A Gentle Soul Who Helped Many Lost Souls Find Their Way

Mary Terry: A Gentle Soul Who Helped Many Lost Souls Find Their Way

Mary Terry, an award-winning teacher at the Graniteville School in Johnston, a 2nd-grade teacher at the former St. Raymond’s School in Providence, and later a cherished administrative assistant at the San Miguel School in Providence, passed away at the age of 92 this past Sunday.  A funeral Mass will be held for her on Friday, October 31st, at 11 AM at St. Francis Church in Wakefield.

Born in 1933, Mary was a child of the Depression who spent almost 60 years of her life in schools, enriching the lives of everyone she met.

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In 1993, Brother Lawrence Goyette FSC began an experiment in middle school education for at-risk low-income students in Providence, in the former St. Paul’s Lutheran School in South Providence.  He had a vision of how to lift the educational levels and spirits of his middle school students in a school he called the San Miguel School.

The challenges were many, particularly funding.  He had a small donor base, volunteer teachers—recent graduates from LaSallian colleges; and a small rookie Board of Directors, most of whom had very little experience in cultivating donations to a school that no one knew existed.

By 1997, Brother Lawrence was wearing many hats:  principal, fundraiser, newsletter writer, student counselor, secretary, copy machine guru, and student recruiter, to name a few. The school was beginning to have results with its students.   And two former La Salle Academy grads, Terry Allen and Frank Sullivan, were spreading the word about San Miguel all over the state, cultivating donors and recruiting new young, committed Board members. But Brother Lawrence was working 10-hour weekdays and Saturday mornings. He was spread thin and exhausted.

He remembered a 2nd grade teacher, Mary Terry, whom he met at St. Raymond’s School, where he briefly taught before it closed.  He was impressed with her interaction with students and her organizational skills.  She was at home in Johnston, retired for the second time.  He called her in 1997 and asked if she could help him.  And could she help as a volunteer? Mary Terry said, “Of course.  See you on Monday.”

Mary began her tenure at San Miguel in the fall of 1997 as a secretary and receptionist. She was the first person that students saw when they entered San Miguel.  A typical greeting: “Hi Jonathon. I met your mother last week.  What a nice lady.  You are so lucky to have her as your mother.  By the way, how is your Valentine’s card for her coming?”

Mary had a wide circle of friends—fellow card players, former teachers, and church parishioners—and she soon corralled them into also volunteering for San Miguel. She and her close friend Claire Healy took over the newsletter mailings to increase awareness of the school.  The annual Miguel Medal event.  Brother Lawrence just turned over scores of details to Mary and to her brigade of volunteers.  Mary was as reliable as a Del’s Lemonade on a wicked hot Rhode Island summer day.

Despite being in her 60s when she started at San Miguel, Mary adapted well to technology.  She had no experience with computers in her earlier school work.  LaSallian Volunteers (LVs) from all over the country who taught at San Miguel often helped Mary figure out the nuances of Microsoft Word.  In return, many LVs reached out to Mary for teaching advice or for a shoulder to lean on when they were homesick.  A resident of Johnston for over 50 years, Mary provided a form of gentle down-home wisdom gleaned from her many years in Johnston.

Brother Lawrence knew that Mary played cards with her friends.  But he didn’t know if she played Hi-Lo-Jack, Bridge, or Polka.  Turns out she played Bridge at the Master level.  One of the Bridge players in her circle was former Rhode Island State Treasurer Nancy Mayer.  You never know when the skills you learn as a cut-throat Bridge player will come in handy. I remember sitting in the San Miguel office one day and listening to Mary negotiate a delivery of copy paper that was overdue.  I said to myself, “Next time I go to war, I want Mary Terry on my side.”

There are thousands of Mary Terrys in Rhode Island who volunteer in our schools, little leagues, and non-profits.  They are often in the background, but they provide the moral force that propels the mission of their organizations.  At San Miguel School, a few hundred volunteers have propelled the school over the last 30 years—mentoring students, coaching, teaching, organizing events, donating time to committees, widening the circle of school supporters, and folding newsletters.

Brother Lawrence was savvy enough to recognize early on the importance of volunteers at San Miguel.  Several volunteers have received the esteemed Miguel Medal, "awarded annually to individuals and organizations who have made a lasting impact on the mission of the school.”  The very first San Miguel volunteer to receive the Miguel Medal was Mary Terry.  Even though Mary retired from San Miguel in 2014, her legacy continues to make a difference in the hundreds of lives she touched.