Mary Lena (Parente) Burgess

Aged 75, passed away at home early Thursday, 23 August 2018 surrounded by her loving family and friends three years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.  She was the daughter of the late Gino and Catherine (Maguire) Parente of Cranston, Rhode Island.  Mary is survived by her husband of 54 years Robert W Burgess of Narragansett and their sons Robert M Burgess and his wife Kathleen Schweitzer of Jamestown, Stephen W Burgess and his wife Beth Burgess, their two daughters Nicole and Lauren, of Narragansett, and Timothy Shea Burgess and his wife Jodi Burgess and their two children Riley and Cameron of Swansea, Massachusetts; a sister Constance Daniels of Cranston and a brother Stephen Parente and his wife Elaine Parente of South Kingstown.

Educated at St. Xavier’s Academy in Providence and a graduate of Salve Regina University in Newport, she was a special education tutor for several years at Oakmont Regional High School in Westminster, Massachusetts.  After moving to Narragansett, she began work at the Narragansett High School as a substitute teacher.  In a few years, she moved to the Narragansett Pier School and taught history and social studies retiring in 2003 after a twenty year career.  She was a member of the Salve Regina Alumni Association, the Ashburnham Rod and Gun Club, the National Education Association, the St. Xavier’s Alumni Association, the Mettatuxet Yacht Club, and the Overlook Book Club.   She was also a parishioner of the St Veronica Church in Narragansett.

After her teaching career, she loved her book club, politics and travel.  Her travels with her beloved husband Bob and family covered the globe consisting of nearly every corner of the United Kingdom and Ireland,  much of Italy including the hill towns of Tuscany and ruins of Sicily, the ancient lands and islands of Greece and Turkey, the northern climes of Scandinavia and Russia, the chateaus, canals and cathedrals of the French countryside, cruises around the Caribbean and across the Atlantic, the mysterious  cities of Eastern Europe, and the faraway lands of Australia and New Zealand.  Domestic travel was also important to her with road trips around the United States and more visits to Disney World than can be counted.  Regardless of the destination, she and Bob visited every museum, historical site and gelataria.

Above all else, she valued and promoted the importance of strong family bonds, being together for holidays, and cherishing time with her grandchildren Nicole, Lauren, Riley and Cameron.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society at https://donate3.cancer.org/ in the honor of Mary Lena Burgess would be deeply appreciated.

Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 28th, at 9:00 a.m. from the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME SOUTH COUNTY CHAPEL, 1111 Boston Neck Road (Rt. 1A), Narragansett, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in St. Veronica’s Chapel, Narragansett. Burial will take place in St. Francis Cemetery, Wakefield. VISITING HOURS: Monday from 4:00-7:00 p.m.