Posted on 09/05/2018
Martha Jane (Condon) Coulbourn (Jan. 25, 1937 - Sept. 1, 2018)
Mother, Navy wife, teacher, antiques dealer, organizer and inspiration, Martha Jane Coulbourn (nee Condon) passed away peacefully Saturday, Sept. 1. Born in Cambridge, MA to John Henry and Florence Oldfield Condon on Jan. 25, 1937, Marty attended school in Medford, Our Lady of Nazareth Academy in Wakefield, and Lesley College in Cambridge.
She wed Samuel W. Coulbourn at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis in 1957 and the couple set off on a life-long worldwide journey. Living in Tehran, Iran; Naples, Italy; Moscow, USSR; Sasebo, Japan; and California, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, District of Columbia and New Hampshire, it was Marty who took a lead role in raising a family while distinguishing herself in social relations in each port. Creative, warm and energetic, Marty helped forge cultural bonds with neighbors, foreign dignitaries, officers and their families around the world. She was a teacher in foreign and domestic locations. Together with Sam, she brought enthusiasm and humanity to the life of a Naval Officer. Residing in Rockport, MA for the past 29 years, she continued her dedication to active support for community, family and friends.
Martha Jane is survived by her husband Sam and their children: John Dixon Coulbourn and Laura Robertson Coulbourn of Topsfield, MA; Mark William Coulbourn of Rockport; and Susan Allerton and Thadeus Joseph Mocarski of Providence, RI. She leaves her grandchildren Samuel Joseph and Kate Golden Mocarski of Brooklyn, NY; Katherine Allerton Mocarski at U. Mass, Worcester; Charles Dixon Coulbourn of Topsfield; Isaac Peter Mocarski at Boston University; and Elizabeth Robertson Coulbourn at Syracuse University.
Funeral services will be held in Rockport at St. Joachim's Church at 10 am on Friday, Sept. 7, followed by a reception at Shalin Liu Performance Center. In lieu of flowers, Marty would've appreciated any donations be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor at Jeanne Jugan Residence,186 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 or online at https://littlesistersofthepoorboston.org or the Rockport (MA) Millbrook Meadow Conservancy, ECCF/Rockport Millbrook Meadow Fund, c/o Essex County Community Foundation,175 Andover Street, Danvers, MA 01923.
Arrangements by the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA 01930. For online condolences, please visit greelyfuneralhome.com
Published in The Boston Globe on Sept. 5, 2018