Mary C. Bisson, SSJ, lately from Common Fence Point, Portsmouth, RI and always from the Fifth Ward in Newport RI, died on March 5, 2025, in Newport after a short illness with her sister, Michele Bisson Andrade and niece, “little” Michele Curtis, MD at her side.
Mary was born to the late George and Mary (Martin) Bisson on January 19, 1943, in Newport RI. A 1960 graduate of St. Catherine’s Academy in Newport, she was also a proud member of the “Kaddidle Hoppers”, a raucous group of girls that brought joy, laughs and love to whomever they ran into. From there, she enrolled in Salve Regina College (now, University) where she was a serious student of literature and a frequent devotee of The Tavern, a local hangout for Salve students, located on Memorial Boulevard, in Newport. Upon her graduation from Salve in 1964, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield and remained a member of their community until her death. Mary loved her life of teaching high school and imparting the joys of literature to her students who in turn repaid her with lifelong friendship and gratitude. Mary taught at St. Joseph High in Pittsfield, MA, Sacred Heart and Bishop Keough High Schools in Pawtucket RI, and at St. Xavier Academy in Providence, RI.
In addition to her love for literature, Mary also imparted her love of the great outdoors to her students incorporating many of the elements of a type of “Outward Bound” into her teaching curriculum including mountain climbing forays into the Acadia National Park and other sites in Maine. She became the founder and co-director of the Providence Family Learning Center on Broadway in Federal Hill, Providence with her dear friend, Sister Margaret Carey, RSM. They were able to provide young families, mothers, and fathers with assistance in getting their GED, health instruction for their young babies and providing guidance for managing their way in the world for their families. For this they received the prestigious Jefferson Award in RI in 1990. Other awards followed as Mary devoted much of her time to improving the world around her; the Community Progress Award, the Cunningham Award, and the Salve Regina Distinguished Alumna Award in 1996. Upon her retirement from PFLC, Mary took up organic farming at Maplewood Farms on Hedley St. in Portsmouth RI to be close to the earth and apply her love for the outdoors to a venture that would respect it.
To distill the essence of Mary, are the words kindness, devotion, commitment, joviality. If you were, lucky enough to have known her, you would experience all of that and more in her lifetime. Her love of animals, especially dogs, was a hallmark of her life and she always carried dog biscuits wherever she would go.
Mary leaves behind her sister Michele Andrade and Michele’s son, Omar Younes, who had a special lifelong relationship with “Murry” as she was nicknamed by him as a toddler. Her sister, Maragretta Bisson Groark, who pre-deceased her in 2008, had a close bond with Mary her whole life and passed this onto her girls, Michele, Laura, and Lisa Groark who flew to her side when this illness enveloped her. Her nephew, Michael Groark of Texas also survives her.
The family would like to thank the caring staff from St. Clare’s Home for their diligence and thoughtfulness shown to Mary, especially Kate Brown, and nurses Lilian Winthrop, RN and Jennifer Johnson, RN. Her private evening caretakers, LPN Nurses Tanya Souza, Cindy Waleski and Mary’s adored cousin, Carolyn Mey Martin, RN gave the family peace, knowing they were by her side.
A Prayer Service and a celebration of her life will be given on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 11:00 AM at the Salve Regina Chapel, corner of Leroy Ave & Ochre Point Ave, Newport. Sister M. Therese Antone, R.S.M, to whom the family expresses deep appreciation, made possible the use of the Salve Chapel.
Donations made be made in Mary’s memory to a non-profit charity of your choice or to Sisters of St. Joseph, 577 Carew St, Springfield, MA 01104, https://ssjspringfield.org/makeagift/.
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