Iconic Johnson Hospital Volunteer Mary Guglielmo Passes Away

STAFFORD, CT — Mary Guglielmo, an icon among volunteers at Johnson Memorial Hospital, has passed away at 101 years of age.

Mary passed away on Thursday, according to her obituary posted on the Introvigne Funeral Home website.

She was born one of 10 children on May 11, 1917, in New York City, daughter of the late Frank and Catherine (Cuomo) Cavaliero. The family moved to Stamford when Mary was just a young girl. One of her children, longtime state Sen. Tony Guglielmo, often told stories of "the old neighborhood" and often joked that his mom kept him in line.

Mary moved to Stafford after the death of her husband, Frank.

She turned to volunteering at JMH and was active there for more than 36 years. Mary accrued the most volunteer hours ever at the institution — more than 25,000. Last year, she was honored by the Connecticut Hospital Association for that milestone.

JMH officials released the following statement commemorating Mary's life:

We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Mary Guglielmo. We will always be grateful for Mary's giving spirit. Since 1982, Mary has volunteered on Mondays and Thursdays in our Emergency Department serving our patients and providing a sympathetic ear. She served more hours than any volunteer in Johnson Memorial history.At her 100th birthday celebration she was quoted as saying "My son moved up here in 1982. He didn't want me left alone in Stamford, so he asked me to join him. When I got here, I turned to my daughter-in-law, Doris, and asked 'Now what am I going to do?', and she said, 'Go to the hospital and volunteer.' So that's what I did."

She was part of the "Twin Marys" team at JMH with Mary Alsing, who passed away at 100 last May after logging more than 11,000 hours at the hospital.

A Mass of Christian Burial has been slated for Saturday, March 9, at 11 a.m. at St. Edward Church, 55 High St., Stafford Springs.

Burial will take place privately at St. John Cemetery, Darien.

See the full obituary here.

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