Marie L. Rota Callahan

Marie Lucille (Rota) Callahan passed away peacefully in the comfort of her own home on November 07, 2023, while surrounded by her loved ones. She was 96 years young and passed away on her birthday. Marie leaves behind her beloved five sons – John and Janet Callahan of Yarmouth, Mike Callahan and Lynn Masciarelli of Marshfield, Steve and Audrey Callahan of Duxbury, Tim and Jackie Callahan of Falmouth, and Pat and Trish Callahan of Falmouth. She was a loving grandmother to 16 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren – a stat that she was extremely proud of.

Marie was born on November 7, 1927, in Randolph, Massachusetts to Marino and Pearl (Cassani) Rota. Marino and Pearl came over to the states from Italy to start their family, Marie was extremely proud of her deep Italian roots and heritage. She was the second of three children. Marie adored her late siblings, older brother Henry and wife, Maude Rota and her younger sister Virginia ‘Ginny’ (Rota) Brewster and husband Robert ‘Bibby’ Brewster. Marie would remain close with them and their children throughout her entire life. She was equally proud of all her nieces and nephews as she was her own grandchildren. Every year, Ginny would come and spend Summers with Marie on Cape Cod and in the Winter Marie would travel down to Florida to stay with Ginny – creating some of their fondest memories together later in life. Every Saturday, while down in Florida, Marie and Ginny would attend mass and then treat themselves to a nice sausage and pepper thin crust pizza from Dominos.

Growing up Marie always showed hustle and grit. Her first job out of high school was working for the State Street Bank as a stenographer. It was also in high school where she would meet John ‘Jack’ Thomas Callahan Jr. whom she shared her five sons with. Together Marie and Jack raised their five sons in Randolph while also starting their own business in construction in 1954. In addition to being the co-founder of John T. Callahan & Sons and raising five boys – Marie also invested in and managed a robust real estate portfolio. Investing and giving back to her community was very important to her. Marie took her passion for politics and volunteered at the poles, she was elected to the Randolph Housing Authority, and held her position as a member of the Ladies Library Association of Randolph right up until her passing. She was most proud of her contributions while part of the Ladies Library, a passion she shared with her long-time friend, Mary Good.

Amongst all of Marie’s hobbies and extracurricular activities, it was the time she was able to spend with her growing family that she found most gratifying. Her desire to be close to family and watch her grandchildren grow up resulted in her move to Falmouth, MA. She found a love for golf and quickly became quite the competitor on the links, beating out her own sons at times and showing no mercy. She enjoyed gardening and cooking, and especially cooking anything that grew in her garden. On any given day, if you were to walk into Marie’s home – you would hear Frank Sinatra playing from her kitchen and feel the warmth of the oven and stove top completely occupied with sauces, soups, and baked dishes. She would have her cookbook wide open, and her apron tied tight, and you would be hard pressed if you thought you were getting out of there without eating something.

Her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her endless joy – she loved any opportunity to spend time with them. Whether it was dinner, a sporting event, a boat ride, or just simply sitting outside with them – she was perfectly content being amongst the chaos of her son’s young families, laughing, and enjoying the simplicity of it all.

It was Marie’s wish that her life would be honored with a funeral mass. Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Parish in Randolph on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, at 11:00 AM. There will be a celebration of life following mass. Arrangements handled by the Hurley Funeral Home, Randolph.

In lieu of flowers, and in the spirit of Marie’s passion for community and giving back — we ask that you honor her life by considering a donation to Caritas Communities. Caritas is a non-profit organization that is committed to providing permanent housing and a sense of community to low-income individuals of Boston.
https://caritascommunities.org/support-us/mariecallahanmemorial/