Generations-This post is comprised of photos from all the website families of grandparents and great grandparents with their grandchildren along with a sprinkling of aunts and uncles with their nieces and nephews.
Ray Mahony, Sr and Jr. standing behind Lititia Mahony with her newborn great-grandson Dennis Mahony
Standing Frances “Fanny” Mahony (grandmother), Helen Mahony (mother), Betty Mahony Ciccone (aunt), Ray Mahony (father). Seated: Lititia Mahony, holding great-grandson Dennis Mahony
This is a family classic. Photo on top taken in 1964 is of Ray Mahony, son Dennis with his son David, and Ray Mahony, Sr. The photo below was taken 31 years later and includes father Dennis, son David holding son Quinn Mahony, and Ray Mahony, Jr. The circle of life. (Thanks to David’s mother, Adie, for having the vision to take the second photo!)
Walt and Jay Rafalowski with grandsons Colin and Ryan Mahony
Todd with granddaughters Andi and Audrey Ray
Sean and Debby with grandchildren Emma, Bo, and Todd Bainbridge
Grandma Debby with Maggie and Tommy Wickham, and Bo, Emma, and Todd Bainbridge
Helen and Ray Mahony with grandsons Ryan and Colin Mahony
Helen and Ray with great grandsons Aidan, Gavin, and Quinn Mahony
Grandpa Sean with Todd and newborn Bo
Art, Ryan, Colin, and Jan with Pop Pop (Rafalowski)
Todd with granddaughter Andi at Lake George
Uncle Ray with “niece” Shamrock (just seeing if you’re paying attention)
Helen a little overcome with emotion as she holds great granddaughter Andi
Jada Ciccone with newborn nephew Dennis Mahony in 1940
Ray Mahony, Sr and wife Fanny with Denny in 1940
Mahonys and Ciccones: Seated in the front Denny, Ray, and Todd Mahony. Second row:Betty Ciccone with daughter Carol, great-grandmother Lititia Mahony, grandmother Fanny Hickey, Helen Mahony with Sean. Back row: Jada Ciccone, Ray, Sr. and Ray, Jr.
Art and Jan with niece Mary Kate Cummings after field hockey match at Drew University
Grandson David, Barb, Steve, Helen, Ray, Adie, Denny, Jan and Art late 1970s.
The section is dedicated to Mahony family weddings starting with Denny and Adie going back to 1962 right through Chris and Jess’s in 2010.
Adie
Denny and Adie
Mahony Family. Sean, Pat, Ray, Helen, Steve, Denny, Adie, Art, Ray, Barb, and Todd
Sean Mahony marries Debby Lind May 1968. What a weekend!!
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Family photo Sean’s Wedding
Pat and Bob’s Wedding
Jan and art’s Wedding June 26, 1976
Why is Jan smiling? Doesn’t she know what she’s getting into?
Art and Jan
Mom and Dad
Todd, Sean, Art, Best Man Steve, Todd, Denny (hmmm…let me see….who’s missing)
Time to serve dessert
Family
Todd and Patty
Todd, The Boss, and Art
The toast-Hey Todd, wake up!!
That’s better….
Invitation to Patty and Dave’s wedding
Dave and Patty-1991
Mahony Family
Not sure what happened here!
The bride and her very proud mother and father
Megan Mahony and Tom Wickham’s wedding. L to R: Debby, Mrs Lind, Tom, Megan, Sean, Helen and Ray Mahony
The happy couple
The best man and happy groom
I may be prejudiced but this is an awesome picture on a great day.
Who are all these people?
Chris and Jess’s big day
Handsome couple
Jess and Jess
Cutting the cake
The family
Art, Sean, Barb, Denny, Ray, Todd along with Emma and Maggie (Sean and Debby’s granddaughters)
Raymund L Mahony, Sr. and Frances Hickey Mahony
This page is dedicated to Raymund L Mahony, Sr. and his wife Frances Hickey Mahony. It will include photos, career articles, letters he wrote to family over a 50 year span, and his obituary. He was a great success in his service to Essex County, highly involved in charitable work, always willing to provide assistance to his friends and strangers alike, and, finally, a devoted family man.
Ray Mahony taken around 1915
Ray (far right) at work in the county office building in Newark in the 1920s. Notice the spittoons.
A series of career articles illustrating his success and eventual retirement.
Know as a Nearly Indispensable Man
Another tribute
Mr Essex County
Continued charitable work
Ray ends a long, productive career.
Ray’s obituary. October 1968.
Ray and Fanny’s 25th wedding anniversary celebration in 1936. Seated in the middle front row is Helen Saunders (2 years later becoming Helen Mahony), Betty Mahony (soon to be Betty Ciccone) and Ray Mahony, Jr. at age 21. Of note is that pictured far left on 3rd row is John J Carlin, a good friend of Ray, Sr and also father to Estelle Carlin who married George Saunders, Sr.
Photos of Fanny and Ray in 1940 with newborn Denny.
Four generations in 1940: Standing Ray Mahony, Sr and Ray, Jr. Seated: Lititia Finn Mahony with newborn Denny on her pal.
Another four generation photo: Standing Fanny Mahony, Helen Mahony, Betty Mahony, Ray, Jr. Seated: Lititia holding Denny-1940
Ray, Sr and Denny
Ray, Sr with first granddaughter Carol 1947
Family photo taken 1946. Front row: Denny, Ray, Todd Mahony. Seated second row: Betty Mahony Ciccone with daughter Carol on lap, Lititia Mahony, Fanny Mahony, Helen Mahony with son Sean on lap. Back row: Albert “Jada” Ciccone, Ray Mahony, Sr. and Ray Mahony, Jr.
The four big boys (though they don’t look so big here) in 1946: Sean, Todd, Ray, Denny Mahony.
This section will be include the letters written by Ray over a 50 year period.
The first was written at age 15
Letter from Ray Mahony, Sr to his dad Dennis from YMCA camp on July 7, 1905. Ray is 15 and at YMCA camp at Ft Hancock on the Jersey Shore. He is writing to tell his dad about seeing Teddy Roosevelt speak. Dennis Mahony was active in Republican politics and attended the national conventions as a delegate from NJ. The letter tells of Ray’s excitement and high regard for TR.
Ray Mahony, Sr. around 1945
Dedication: Helen and Ray Mahony
This is a pictorial dedication to my parents. They met at a party in September 1931 and they were together for the next 79 years.
Ray 1915
Helen and favorite brother George around 1920
Ray and sister Betty in 1924
Ray at the Jersey shore 1920 (Looks like young Tommy Wickham)
Ray 1931
Helen 1932
Ray 1933
Graduation Nutley High school 1933
1934 (wow, he looks like Todd)
Helen 1935-looking very good!!
1936 (Jeez, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other!)
Dapper Ray 1936
Ray and Helen (or is it Bonnie and Clyde)
Ray and sister Betty around 1938
Helen at Uncle George’s wedding
Trip to Bermuda 1960 (Dad wearing an ascot??)
1967
Former first baseman
1970s
Todd and Patty’s wedding 1988
A pictures is worth a thousand words
51st wedding anniversary April 16, 1989
Helen and Ray’s anniversary party 1988
Megan and Tom’s wedding 1996
Visiting Lake George
1991 reunion
Family gathering at Lake Valhalla 2000 (with favorite son)
Goofing around during a Board meeting at the park
Visit to NJ around 2004
Mid-2000s
60th and 70th wedding anniversary announcements
Ray with his bamboo plants. “Where did I get all this talent?” he asks.
A school assignment from Quinn Michael Mahony, oldest grandson, about his great grandfather
September 3, 2010
My dad was in the hospital quite sick and recovery was very unlikely. He refused to undergo an invasive procedure that had little chance for success. He was tired and in pain. “I’ve had a good life” he assured his sons. Brothers Ray and Steve went to pick up mom to bring her to the hospital for what would be their final visit. Todd stayed with my dad who asked Todd to help him clean up and comb his hair before my mother arrived. He wanted to look presentable for their last moments together. When my mom arrived they talked, held hands and had one final kiss. After the kiss she stood up and let everyone know once again that he was a great kisser. She went back home and he died at 4:27 that afternoon. Ironically, his eight children were on the phone making plans to handle the situation when he passed. As usual he was one step ahead of us. This photo was taken during that final visit.
Ray’s Obituary
Mom 2012
April 27, 2013
My dad passed away in September 2010 leaving my mother alone after close to 80 years with her life partner. With little exception she continued to live the next two and half years of her life with dignity and without complaint. It is hard to image the devastation of losing someone you so dearly loved for so many years yet she continued on with remarkable strength. While she enjoyed visits from her family as time went on her memory began to fade and energy level declined. She spent many hours sleeping, taking short walks and looking at family photographs which seemed to give her comfort. In early April she fell and fractured her pelvis and a vertebra in her lower back. She spent 10 days in the hospital and then arrangements were made to move her to a nursing facility. Her condition declined rapidly and hospice was brought in to manage what was likely to be her final days. Five days before she died she would no longer allow the nursing staff to feed her: she had made her final decision and decided it was time to move on. Reflecting on her decision I feel tremendous sadness but also great pride that she went out on her own terms.
This is the final picture taken of mom in late March. She had just visited with Todd and was on her way to dinner when he took the photo. My first reaction was profound sadness to see her alone but I now see it in a different way: I believe my dad was waiting for her just around the corner and they are now united once again.
The Mahony Book of Family Values
When my siblings and I were in college we knew that we could write one letter to our Mahony grandparents and two good things would happen: we would make these two special people happy and also end up with a reply in the amount of $10 (adjusted for inflation). A classic win-win scenario, which is nice. My dad took the process to a whole new level with the creation of the Mahony Book of Family Values
The Book of Family Values was created by my father and mother,Ray and Helen, back in the 1980s. This “Book” existed not on paper but totally in the mind of my father. At the center of this effort was the simple desire on the part of my folks to stay in touch with their grand and great grandchildren. But it was even more: they wanted to encourage the kids to perform well in school, in sports, behave themselves, and be good people. The hook was that the Book of Values referenced a “book” that didn’t exist: allowing my father to create categories, monetary rewards, and quotations from the book every time he received a request. When Ryan broke his wrist he received an award of $1.87 under the category of “Dumb Things to Do”. Colin received an award for throwing a TD pass in overtime to win a game. The award was broken down as follows: Throwing pass to win the game: $18.50, Doing it in overtime: $.65, doing it on his birthday: $1.25. Often the “committee” would provide various dollar awards for As, Bs, and Cs: referencing various pages in the “book”. The beauty was that the values for the letter grades change continually as my folks couldn’t remember what value they assigned in earlier awards: this confused the kids yet they had no problem cashing the checks!
Every note ended the same way: with an expression of love and affection for the recipient (and always mentioned the other siblings as well). This combination of humor, recognition for doing the right thing, and expressions of love were the themes of the Book of Family Values.
Anyway, you get the picture. Enjoy my parents doing what they loved to do.
In this letter Ryan is given recognition for being the only member of the extended family to be inducted into the National Honor Society. This caused a bit of a stir as Megan had been inducted years earlier at Norwell High School. This led to one of the only retractions the “committee” ever offered however the committee allowed Ryan to retain his reward.
Retraction
The Book of Values was also extended to the next generation as is evident in the award to Quinn Michael Mahony. Helen and Rays oldest great grandchild.
Recognition-this section will recognise some key accomplishments of family members in the areas of school and career.
As this article makes clear, Barb has had a huge impact on the Lacrosse program in Falls Church. Her organizational skills, fairness, humor, and commitment are all obvious here.
Brian is a digital arts teacher at Concord-Carlisle High School outside of Boston. He is also the creator of the Guumon toy figures which are are popular items in the US and Japan. See how he combines a passion for art education and art creation.
Another article on how Brian’s teaching skills lead to practical application for one of his students.
Colin and Mario’s 2003 football team was inducted into the Montville Township High School’s Hall of Fame. This organization recognizes accomplishment in the ares athletics, academics, and community service.
Denny was a successful executive and leader with American Cyanamid and Formica. Below is an interview which appeared in the company publication.
After a very successful advertising career, Todd started his own company out his home with no customers, a couple partners, and a very strong vision. The rest is history.
Art spent 28 years at Ricoh, starting as sales trainer and retiring as Region Vice President. Here is an interview he gave in 2009.
Ricoh’s reorganization announcement in 2005. Art is named RVP.
For about 20 years Denny and Adie served on the St Clare’s Hospital Harvest Festival, apparently with the occasional assistance of son Brian, to raise funds for the hospital.
Yearbook Years
Yearbook photos from 1954 to 1970. I thought it be fun to take a look back at our years at MLHS as well as a few photos from Moorestown High School where Steve and Barb graduated. Hope you enjoy.
Senior Pictures-(Double click on the senior pictures to get full screen view)
Steve
Barb
Class Pictures
Class of 1958 8th grade year-Denny’s in the second row 5th from left (not facing the camera!)
Class of 1958 sophomore year-Denny is the middle of the back row
Class of 1960 8th grade-Ray in front row on far left
Class of 1961 7th grade-Todd is back row 3rd from right
Sports/Activities
1958 Football-Denny(#34), Ray (#69) and Todd (#65), What’s Ray doing with his right hand??
Denny senior year 1958
Hey!! How did Colin get in here?
Textbook body block by Denny #34
1959 Football-Ray #33-Todd in back row 3rd from left
1956 Football- Dad, Mom (with sunglasses) , and Patty (Denny’s most loyal fan) watching from the stands
1967 Football- Art #38 
Steve’s Soccer team goes to state playoffs (Steve in front row fourth from left)
1965 Girls Athletic Association Blue Team-Patty’s in the front row 5th from left. She broke her arm in practice that year but still appeared in the show. 
1958 Winners of the Penn Relays MLHS team: Pete Tucker, Denny, Dave Heiser, Walt Braunholder. Denny was also State Champ in the quarter mile that year
1958 Winner of Penn Relays at reunion 1998 with caoch and family friend Bill Kogen.
1960 Swimming (Todd front row third from left)
1964 Swimming State Champs (Art second row third from right)
1969 Swimming Barb is Co-Captain and they lose only one meet (She is seated on diving board second from end)
1969 Barb and old friend Connie Crocker (3rd and 4th top row right) with Cheerleaders
1969 Barb on yearbook committee (OK enough of Barb!!)
1958 Basketball- Denny #9
1965-66 Basketball (Art #22 )
1967 Basketball Steve #40
