March 5, 1936 ~ October 9, 2021
DiGiovanni, Mary F. (Travers) – of Reading, Oct. 9th, 2021. Beloved wife of 58 years to Joseph DiGiovanni. Devoted Mother of Diane DeLaney and her husband Dennis of the North End, Joseph DiGiovanni, III and his wife Daniela of New Hampshire, Karen DeAngelis and her husband David of Groton, and Mark DiGiovanni and his wife Maureen of Maine. Cherished Grandmother of Sean, Steven, Maximilian, James, Joseph Vincent, Joseph Andrew, Cecilia, Mia, Sofia, Veronica, Owen, and Grace. Loving sister of Julia Angers of Worcester, Magdalene White of Webster, and the late Patricia Serra and John Travers. Sister-in-law of Anna Kissinger and Richard Serra. Mary is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Mary’s career as a Professor and Program Coordinator of the Human Services Program at Northern Essex Community College spanned over 50 years. She served as President of the Council for Standards in Human Service Education and she was instrumental in the development of a nationalized human services field with standardized competencies and credentialing for human service professionals. She is also credited with developing one of the first human services degree programs in the country for Northern Essex. Her passion in life was teaching and advocating for people with disabilities. Mary is a graduate of St Vincent Hospital School of Nursing in Worcester, MA, and Boston College where she earned both a BS degree in Nursing as well as a Master’s degree in Community Mental Health. Mary’s Catholic faith and her family were the center of her life and she will be greatly missed by all.
Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral Mass at St. Athanasius Church, 300 Haverhill St., Reading, MA on Friday, October 15th, at 10 am. Visiting hours will be held at the Funeral Home on Thursday, October 14th from 4 to 8 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Mary DiGiovanni Human Services Scholarship at Northern Essex Community College. Gifts made to this scholarship will honor Mary’s legacy of educating Human Services professionals and will benefit not only the recipients but the lives of all those touched by their care. Donations can be made via check or online (necc.mass.edu/giving) to The NECC Foundation, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill, MA 01830. Please write (The Mary DiGiovanni Human Services Scholarship) on the memo line or in the comments for online giving.
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