Obituary of Maureen C. Slattery

August 2, 1944 - June 13, 2023 TROY - Maureen C. Slattery was born, August 2, 1944, the second of three sisters, the eldest, Lois, and her younger sister, Pamula, to Dorothy and Loyal Cure. Her early years were lived in Berlin NY. In 1962, she graduated from Berlin High School, whereupon she became engaged and soon married to her husband James. Throughout the following four years she devoted herself to supporting him as he pursued a college education. Upon the final day of his time as a student, in January 17, 1966, he was called from his classroom to attend to her at Wellsboro, Pa. Soldiers and Sailors Memorial hospital while she gave birth to their first daughter, Erin. Three days later she sat in the front seat of a truck as they moved from Pennsylvania to Schoharie, NY. The van had been packed and loaded by her husband and her brother-in-law Gene. And by HER. She injured herself doing this, but never let on until the job was done, at which time she consented to seeing the family doctor and having her wounds attended to. She never complained. Never once asked for sympathy. This courage, this strength. They were the heart and soul of Maureen Slattery. The above is not meant to imply there wasn't more. Soon, February 10, 1970, another daughter, Shannon was born, this time with no extraordinary trauma. And her two children, Erin, and Shannon, became the center of her life, and her mother's love became even more powerful than the harsher virtues referenced previously. Maureen was both a wonder and most wonderful. Throughout their childhood Maureen devoted herself to her two "babies," and when they eventually began school, entering the next phase of their own lives, Maureen dedicated herself to a new calling. She became a student nurse at Hudson Valley Community College, graduated with an associate degree as well as her RN. She passed the boards on her very first try and began her career as a nurse at Cohoes Hospital where she stayed until it closed, at which point she went to work at Albany County Nursing Home where she stayed until she retired. But for Maureen retirement was a bit tame, so she took on duties as a part-time school nurse at several local districts. It must be noted that during this time, through no fault of her own, Maureen's marriage ended. Did she weep? Perhaps in the privacy of her own room. Never, however, did she seek undue sympathy, and to her everlasting credit, maintained a close friendship with her former husband, his new wife, and their two daughters. Perhaps saintliness should be added to her accolades. But time moves on, even the swiftest of us slows, and for the final years of her life, Maureen devoted herself to her three grandchildren, Ryan, Robert, and Geena, and two (one yet in-utero) great-grandsons, Ryan, Jr., and his brother as yet unnamed. She enjoyed traveling as well, especially loving the coast of Maine. For several years, there was no keeping her down. Until the end. A line from a song speaks the truth of Maureen's final days, "Even the strongest soldier falls." Her father would have said Marine, but the truth remains the same. Maureen was a warrior, a superb nurse, and a loving mother. She will be missed. Cremation has taken place through the care of Simple Choices, Inc. Relatives and Friends are invited to visit with Maureen’s Family on Friday, June 16, 2023, from 4-6PM in the Chapel of Simple Choices, Inc., 218 2nd Avenue (corner of 104th Street) Troy, NY 12180, where a memorial service will be held a 6 o’clock in the funeral home. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with Maureen’s Family, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com