Mary E. Roca 1940-2024

She was born Sept 23, 1940, in Youngstown, to the late Leo and Barbara Barnhart Hagan.

She married her loving husband, Ricardo, at Sacred Heart on May 9, 1964.

After graduating from Youngstown State University in 1984 with her Bachelor of Science in education degree, Mary went on to have a fulfilling career in education teaching at Villa Maria School in Pennsylvania, and then substituted in the Youngstown area for many years. She loved summertime, teaching history and government at the high school level, loved to read and was a huge Buckeyes fan.

Mary is survived by her daughter, Kathleen Roca; son, Mark (Jessica) Roca; sister, Michele “Mike” McCabe; and “grand nephews,” Luke and Matthew Petrony.

In addition to her husband and parents, Cookie was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda Roca; her parents; a brother, Robert Hagan; and a sister, Gale Wren.

Family and friends may call 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, 2024, at Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be performed at 10 a.m. Friday, April 19, 2024, at St. Angela Merici Parish, 397 S. Jackson St., Youngstown, OH 44506. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, 248 S. Belle Vista Ave., Youngstown, OH 44509.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the caregivers at Victoria House and Harmony Hospice for their loving care of Cookie.

Material tributes may take the form of donations to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

This obituary can be viewed and condolences can be sent to www.higgins-reardon.com.

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