Mary Elizabeth French
Tribute
Mary Elizabeth French, 81, of Raleigh passed away on Thursday, August 25, 2022. She was born Maria del Carmen Rey in Melilla Spain daughter of the late Francisca Fernandez de Rey and Antonio Rey.
Ms. French was a retired Head Teller in the Banking Business and her passion and focus was raising her four children John, Lisa, Jim, and Anne-Marie. She was very conscientious as a teller, as a mother and as a wife. She daily closed her books to the penny, made sure dinner was on the table for her family of 6 at 6:00 PM, and kept a clean house. She was her family’s foundation in a frequently chaotic life having come to the United States at the age of 9 years from Spain, finding herself alone in New York City at the young age of 16 years, and caring for three young children on her own by the time she was the age of 25 years. To her children, she was their nourishment and their conscience. She taught them to be kind to others, to be interested in others, to give without expecting to get, to tell the truth, to keep their promises, to pay their bills, to play while working, to cherish children, to meet children where they were, to gather family with food, to clean behind their ears, to forgive, to complain little, to do more than speak, to empathize with those less fortunate, to be grateful for what they have, and to not judge. Mary will be missed but her spirit and guidance live on within her children.
Mary is survived by her son, John French of Richmond Hill Georgia, her son James “Jim” French of Raleigh North Carolina, and her daughter Anne-Marie French of Mason Ohio. She was predeceased by her daughter Elizabeth “Lisa” French in 2020.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. (919-556-5811)
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