Obituary of Mary Devany

Mary Margaret (Cox) Devany passed away on April 12, 2023. She was born in 1947 to Howie and Jean Cox. She grew up in South Buffalo with her siblings Lloyd, Ruth, Peggy and the late James. She married James (Jimmer) Devany III in 1967 and had three children James IV (Jimmy), Maura and the late Darin. When Jimmy married Sharon and Maura married Matt she couldn’t have been happier and she formed a special bond with each of them. No one had a bigger heart than Mary. She was the most generous and talented person who would use both of those qualities whenever she could. She was also creative and intelligent. If you gave her an idea about some project or something you needed she was off and running. Mary was a proud Irish American and throughout her life was active in many Irish Cultural organizations and was a member of the Buffalo Irish Center. Mary loved flowers and plants and over the years she worked for several florists and also would make arrangements at home on her own. She was also a tenant relation specialist with BMHA which allowed her to continue helping people. Though she loved South Buffalo and her Irish roots she moved to Orchard Park in 2017 and started a whole new chapter. She had a patio she could sit out on and a garden she could tend and she was closer to Jimmy, Sharon, Maura & Matt & her beloved grandchildren. Another bonus was she met a new friend, Norma who quickly became her best friend as they bonded over quilting among other things. Mary was a proud member of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish and its Prayer Shawl Ministry. She quickly bonded with the small group of women and deepened her faith. She made hundreds of prayer shawls each one unique & intricate. The quilting group in Springville became another favorite activity of hers where she met another great group of women who became fast friends. This group shifted to making masks during the pandemic again fulfilling Mary’s calling to help people. If you had a cloth mask during the pandemic (especially a Buffalo Bills one) there’s a good chance Mary made it. Mary’s biggest passion (Josh Allen and the Bills notwithstanding) was her grandchildren. She adored her five grandsons: Jimmy, Jack, Declan, Nolan and Griffin and indulged them whenever she could. She loved finding out what their interests were at the time and then she would research whatever it was so they could talk & text about it. This kept her young at heart. When she stopped driving a few years ago at first she hated the loss of independence but the silver lining was she so looked forward to which one of her grandsons would be her “Uber” driver. She loved the conversations they would have on the ride and the one on one time. Mary was loved by many and her generous spirit, faith and kind heart are what she will be remembered for most.