Mary Eileen (Keegan) Sterling

Mary Eileen (Keegan) Sterling passed away peacefully at home on her 95

th

birthday on January 31, 2017, surrounded by her children. She joins our dad, Michael James (Jim), her parents, Francis and Mary Keegan and her sister Gertrude. She is survived by her nine children, Joanne, Suzanne, Michael (Sharon), Mark (Michelle), Mary Anne, Tim (Faith), Trish, Jennifer (Neville) and Trina. In addition to her brothers John, William and Pat who will miss her. She dearly loved 15 grandchildren, 14 (and one on the way) great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and other family and friends. She graduated from St. Joseph’s Nursing School in Phoenix in 1943 and was a nurse to the very end. She was kind, generous, fiercely loyal and smart; she was fun-loving, and graceful had a brilliant wit and lived a long and beautiful life on her terms never failing to fight in a quiet way for social justice and human rights. The heart and soul of our family, our mom’s legacy is rich and deep; she gave us so many gifts: music, education, tolerance, humility and self-respect. We will all miss her beautiful smile, her wisdom and those blue eyes. A celebration of her life will be held 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at Brophy Chapel, 4701 N. Central Avenue, in Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests donations to St. Vincent DePaul or Hospice of the Valley. Arrangements entrusted to Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home.