Mary Michael Giaquinto Langan

Friday, Sep. 16, 2016

Her name was Mary Michael, not Mary.  She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Oct. 29, 1943 to Dominic and Louise Giaquinto, and passed away on Sept. 1, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

She moved from Long Island, N.Y. to Utah in 1968 and brought along her New York accent and the attitude that went with it. Both served her well in life. If you met her, you didn’t forget her; she made an impression.  

She and I (Tim) were married for 40 years and had four children: Helen Langan-Conger (Jared), Clare Eggett (Chris), Anne Tuckett (Mike), and Timothy Langan. They gave us six remarkable grandchildren:  Jane, Dominic, Peter, McKenna, Luke and Oliver. She was their one and only “Nannie.” They were the light of her life and she loved them completely. 

She is also survived by her brother Al and nieces Martina and Gabriella.

She had a way of connecting with people that was a gift.  Sometimes she would give a complement followed by a “but...” It was always a truth followed by another truth that you didn’t want to hear. We called that being “Mary Michaeled.” It was her way of keeping things real and being authentic.

She was a woman of faith.  She was a lifelong Roman Catholic. She counted many nuns and priests among her friends. They became part of our extended family. She had an encyclopedic memory when it came to the saints. Sometimes she quizzed the family about them. “Do you know what saint’s day this is?” I usually didn’t.

She was Italian down to her toes. She loved holidays and observed all the Italian traditions. She paid attention to details to make things special for her family. She spent weeks getting ready for the special occasion so that when the day came it would be perfect. It drove the rest of us (me) a little bit crazy sometimes, but we loved her for it and it’s one of the things we’ll miss most.

She also loved living in Utah. She made many deep and lasting friendships with our neighbors in Bountiful. We are grateful to them for all their loving support during this time.

She was an original.  There won’t be another like her.  Her great heart gave out far too soon, and ours are broken.  Thank you to the staffs at Lakeview and University of Utah hospitals.  They took a difficult situation and made it bearable. Her name was Mary Michael, she won’t be forgotten.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 10  at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Committal was at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery.