Obituary of Margaret Frances Byrne

Margaret “Maggie” Frances Byrne, age 88, beloved wife of the late Joseph Byrne, died on Tuesday, February 25th at her home in the Village at Brookfield Commons. She was born in the small town of Galilee, PA on October 9th, 1931 cherished daughter of the late Edwin L. and Kathleen (Murphy) Moore. She was a parishioner of St. Joseph Church, Danbury, CT. Maggie was an exceptional woman, spending her life in service of others. Growing up on a small farm in northeast Pennsylvania, Maggie dreamed of becoming a nurse from the time she was nine years old. She achieved that dream when she became a registered nurse in 1952 after attending the nursing school at Binghamton General Hospital in New York. Afterwards she moved to NYC where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New York University. Maggie’s work as a nurse brought her down many different avenues with many different specialties. She started as a medical-surgical nurse at the Queens General Hospital in Queens, New York. She taught practical nursing at North Tarrytown’s Phelps Memorial Hospital. Following her work as a nursing teacher she worked at New York Hospital in White Plains as an inpatient psychiatric nurse prior to the age of modern psychiatric medicine, treating each patient with the same love and care she had for her beloved family. Eventually, Maggie found herself working as a public servant for Westchester County Department of Health, Nursing Division in well-child health clinics. She treated immigrant children with no health records, giving them examinations and immunizations so that they could attend school. Throughout her career Maggie treated children from infancy to high school age, adults and seniors, and inmates at different correctional facilities. In retirement, Maggie volunteered for the Red Cross Retired Senior Volunteer Program, at Pope John Paul II Health Center in Danbury, and with the Westchester/Putnam Chapter of the RPEA. When Maggie was not working or volunteering, she enjoyed spending time with her family, sewing, and especially bird watching. Her favorite bird was the Red Cardinal. She will be sadly missed by her two sons, Patrick Byrne and his wife Christine of New Milford and Peter Byrne and his wife Ellen of New Milford; her granddaughter Madison; her sister Kathleen Palino of New Jersey; and her brother Peter Moore and his wife Sandra of Syracuse, NY. In addition to her husband, Joe, Maggie was predeceased by her brothers Edwin, John, and James Moore. The family would like to thank the staff of the Village at Brookfield Commons and VITAS Healthcare of Middlebury for their exceptional care of Maggie. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph Church in Danbury on Saturday February 29th at 10 AM. Burial will follow in St. Peter Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White St. Danbury, on Friday between the hours of 4 and 7 PM In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to VITAS Healthcare, 199 Park Rd Extension #102 Middlebury, CT 06762.