Bernadette Mary (Duffy) Mitchell, 78, of Groveland, formerly of Randolph and Yarmouthport, died Dec. 5 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, N.Y.
Mrs. Mitchell was the wife of the late Maurice P. Mitchell, a Quincy police officer with whom she shared 44 years of marriage.
Born July 26, 1931, in Salmonford, Kilkelly, County Mayo, Ireland, she was the daughter of the late Thomas and MaryJane (Snee) Duffy. She also lived in Dublin, Ireland, where she studied piano at the London College of Music before coming to the United States immediately after World War II. She graduated from Central Evening High School in Boston in 1949.
Mrs. Mitchell worked at the Hingham Naval Shipyard before marrying and raising her family. She was the proud mother of eight children.
During the 1970s, she was a Town Meeting member in Randolph, where she also served as a member of the Randolph Youth Commission and worked to establish the first youth center for teenagers. She was an active member of St. Bernadette’s Parish, where she taught CCD.
She also worked as a legal secretary for the Federal Trade Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.
Mrs. Mitchell is survived by her eight children, Daniel P. Mitchell, of Groveland, MaryJane Mitchell and her husband, Frank J. Musumarra, of Stafford, Va.; Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell and his wife, Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, of Marshfield Hills, Michael J. Mitchell, Esq., and his partner, Mariette Gelfand, of New York City, Bernadette M. Corrado, Esq., and her husband, Anthony, of West Newbury, John M. Mitchell, Esq., and his wife, Cary Mitchell, Esq., of Miramar, Fla., Edward J. Mitchell and his wife, Rebecca, of Mountain Brook, Ala., and Maurice P. Mitchell and his wife, Suzanne, of Milton; her sister, Dymphna Richards, of Los Angeles; 16 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was the sister of the late Edward Duffy, Michael Duffy and Florence Kerr.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy. Burial was in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne.
Donations may be made to the QuincyPolice Mutual Aid Association, 1 Sea St., Quincy, MA 02169.