Mary K. Carbone Obituary
Mary Kay (Fitzpatrick) Carbone passed away peacefully on October 20, 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family in her favorite place in the world, Tuna Wharf in Rockport, MA.
Mary Kay was born in Buffalo, NY to James and Patricia Fitzpatrick, who raised her in Springfield, MA. Mary Kay obtained a degree in psychology from Holy Cross followed by a nursing degree from Greenfield Community College. Mary Kay worked as a bedside nurse for 39 years on the cardiac surgical step-down floor at Massachusetts General Hospital. She loved being a nurse and dedicated her life to helping others. Both she and her husband, Thomas, inspired their children to pursue careers in medicine.
Mary Kay was a true free spirit. She drove across the country multiple times, living in Northern California and Seattle, WA. She loved spending time by the ocean and lakes, frequenting the beaches on Cape Cod in her childhood, her summer camp on the Saco River, and the family's cabin in Shapleigh, ME.
She and Thomas met in 1987 on a blind date and it was love at first sight. They married less than a year later and moved to Rockport where they raised their three children. The home she shared with the love of her life is surrounded by the intricate gardens Mary Kay planted and tended. She played flute and piano and loved playing music with her family.
Shortly after she began taking pottery lessons in 2007, Mary Kay and her parents bought an art gallery on Tuna Wharf in Rockport. This was her "little slice of heaven," where she spent countless beautiful days with her family, creating art and spending time together by the ocean. In recent years, she especially loved being Nana Kay to her two beautiful granddaughters. Mary Kay loved her family more than anything, and she will be forever loved and missed.
She is survived by her loving husband Dr. Thomas Carbone and their children; Dr. Thomas Carbone Jr. and his wife Liesl Carbone, their children Adeline and Isabella Carbone of Aberdeen, NC, Dr. Sara Fava and her husband Mike Fava of Warwick, RI, Dr. Michael Carbone and his fiancé Anna Guanci of Beverly, MA; as well her three sisters Maureen, Stacy, Kelly, brother James, and their families. She was predeceased by her parents and brother Tim Fitzpatrick.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary Kay's name may be made to the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation (accrf.org).
