Mary Patricia Beeckman

Mary Patricia Beeckman, 93, of Cheshire, beloved wife of the late Robert Beeckman, Sr., passed away on October 19, 2024. Mary was born on May 10, 1931 in New York, New York to the late James and Grace (Fitzgerald) Mahon.

Mary graduated from St. Jean Baptiste High School in Manhattan in 1949. She took the Staten Island ferry to work on Wall Street and was a legal secretary. Mary met Bob Beeckman on vacation in Cape Cod and they were married in 1957. Bob’s career in finance moved the family from Lexington, MA to Keene, NH (where Bobby and Betsy were born) to Attleboro, MA to Richardson, TX to Barrington, RI, finally settling for good in Cheshire, CT in April 1971.

Mary started taking classes at URI and graduated from Albertus Magnus College in 1975 with a BA in Art History, followed by a MLS from SCSU. She then worked at Cheshire Public Library retiring in 2002 as co-head of the Reference Department. Mary cherished time with family and friends; she loved to travel and read and volunteer with Friends of the Library at the local and state level.

Mary leaves behind her daughter, Betsy (Bruce) Francischelli; daughter-in-law, Barbara Beeckman; grandchildren, Nick (Dawn) Beeckman, Holly (Matt) Greaney and Mark (Anja) Beeckman; great granddaughters, Merrin Greaney and Tali Beeckman; brother, James (Cathy) Mahon, Sr.; niece and nephews, James (Cheryl) Mahon, Jr., Colleen (Rich) McKean, Kevin (KC) Mahon and Danny (Debbie) Beeckman. In addition to her parents and husband, Mary was predeceased by her son, Robert Beeckman Jr.

A Graveside Service will take place on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 11:15 a.m. at Cheshire Hillside Cemetery, 166 Wallingford Rd., Cheshire, CT. All are invited to a Celebration of Life Reception following the burial at Elim Park, 150 Cook Hill Rd., Cheshire, CT. Memorial contributions may be made to Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main St., Cheshire, CT.