“She was one of the kindest, strongest, most loving people I’ve ever met,” writes one of the many guests and friends of Harbor House who knew Mary Crowley.

First as a volunteer and later as the House Manager at Harbor House, Mary was tireless and fearless in her ability to make others feel safe and supported. Even as she struggled with her own illness, Mary always put her needs aside to care for others. Joan Malley, former Director of Harbor House recalled “Mary had a quiet understanding of what the guests were going through and could speak on a personal level in a calm and calming way others could not. And whenever guests returned, they always asked for Mary. “

After two years of running Harbor House by herself, with only the help of volunteers, Joan realized she “needed time to take care of my life outside of 89 Rossiter Road”, although the house had truly been her calling not simply a job. It was the same for Mary. And although Mary was still going to school when she moved from being a volunteer to weekend house manager, she gave Harbor House 110% and then some. Mary was “determined to make sure things that needed to be done got done,” Malley observed. “Things got done because we were always connected,” she added. Even though they didn’t work together physically at the house at the same time, Joan and Mary were always in contact with each other, and looking after each other. “I was Batman to her Robin,” Joan reflected with a smile.

Wanting to do more and “living life to the fullest,” was also a key part of Mary’s fearlessness. As Joan explained, “She would literally knock on doors to get sponsors for our fundraising gala.”. Mary had no fear of treading uncharted turf or thinking outside boxes.

But what was most important to Mary was taking care of the guests at Harbor House in that quiet, calm way that made her so special to everyone who knew her. “We knew the house was a business but we kept that out of sight to the guests,” Malley explained. “We wanted to create a ‘home-like’ experience for [them] from the moment they entered Harbor House. So, we didn’t check-in guests in the office, i.e., while typing data into a form at the computer. We just sat in the living room or kitchen and had a relaxed friendly chat to get whatever information was needed.”

Beyond creating the home-away-from-home atmosphere so intrinsic to the Harbor House mission, Joan and Mary also cultivated their own “Little United Nations,” Malley commented. “The way we treated guests fostered real friendships among guests. We would have people from all four rooms who had dinner together every night, who walked to and from the hospital together, even comforted each other during their darkest moments. They took care of and often understood and respected each other in a way that transcended language and cultural differences. They were united in their shared experience of fearing the worst and praying for the best for their patient.

When asked what she thought Mary would have wanted to do had she lived to continue her work at Harbor House, Joan said without hesitation: “Mary would have wanted Harbor House to grow; she would have wanted to run a second Harbor House.”

And for that second house, she would have continued to shine the light.