The Funeral Mass will be livestreamed on February 15th and can be seen by visiting the following link: Funeral Mass for Nancy Alice Sweeney McMahon.

Nancy Alice Sweeney McMahon, 82, of Raleigh, NC and Decatur, GA passed away on January 7, 2025. She was born in Syracuse, NY, on December 28, 1942 to the late Paul Brockway Sweeney and Elsie Chadwick Sweeney.

Nancy received her bachelors in Secondary Education (Social Studies) from SUNY Cortland, and a Master of Education (Reading) at NC State. Nancy was a dedicated teacher in Syracuse, Tampa, and Raleigh, where she taught pre-K through high school.

It was at Onondaga Valley High in Syracuse where Nancy met her husband - David McMahon. As the story goes, David stole one of her shoes at their high school graduation in 1960. After a brief courtship (and she did get that shoe back) they were married November 22, 1963 until David’s death in 2019. In 1973 they moved to Tampa where together they raised four children.

A gifted seamstress, Nancy loved textiles – the brighter the better. In Tampa, Nancy sewed costumes for the Tampa Professional Children’s Theatre, all of her daughters’ circa 80’s prom dresses, and started a small sewing business called “Pocket’s Unlimited” in Ybor Square.

After moving to Raleigh in 1989, Nancy volunteered at Parish Outreach and Catholic Services and returned to school to receive a master’s in education. Combining her love of textiles and teaching, Nancy served as an education coordinator and store manager at Ten Thousand Villages in Raleigh – a non-profit retailer committed to fair trade. An organizer at heart, Nancy was her best self in that store – creating visual displays and educational materials for in-store student fi eld trips. One of her fondest memories was visiting several African countries to purchase items for the store to better understand the global communities who made them.

After husband David retired, they enjoyed trips with the United States Power Squadron, served as eucharistic ministers and pre-cana counselors at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, and toured Italy and Ireland with their church and college alumni groups. Nancy was a lifelong learner and loved watching educational programming on PBS. Most recently Nancy had relocated to Decatur to be closer to her oldest daughters and was a member of St. Thomas More Church where she supported the musical theatre ministry.

Nancy is preceded in death by her husband David Christopher, brother Paul and parents Paul Sr. and Elsie Sweeney. She is survived by her four children: Elizabeth McMahon Stearns (Brenan), Mary Alice McMahon, Julie Frances McMahon-Grenz (Al), David Paul McMahon (Kasey Cecchini) and fi ve grandchildren: Anna, Margaret, Ethan, John and Ava.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Raleigh, on February 15, 2025 at 11 a.m with visitation one hour prior. Burial immediately to follow in Historic Oakwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate your time in Nancy’s memory. Monetary donations can be made to:

Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry

Ten Thousand Villages

North Carolina Public Television