Adeline (Adelina) Candida (Mariani) McGrath, of Cohasset, formerly of Medford, passed peacefully at home on March 3, 2015, at 88, wife of the late Thomas Little McGrath. Adeline was known to friends and family as Addie or Lil (Liliana). Addie was born in Medford, Mass., on April 2nd, 1926. Her father, Antonio Mariani, died suddenly in 1929 when she was 3 years of age, and she and her brother, Henry A. Mariani (a Deacon at St. Francis Church in Medford, now deceased), were raised by their loving mother, Rosina (Rose) (Mazzone) Mariani. She graduated from Medford High School in 1944 and later enrolled in an evening Accounting program at Northeastern University. She worked for many years in the accounting department at the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P Market). She met her husband, Thomas Little McGrath of West Roxbury, when he visited A&P for a business meeting, and Tom courted her from that moment, and they married in 1955. In 1960 they built their dream house in Cohasset which they shared for their entire lives. She was an active member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Cohasset and volunteered to teach CCD and as a Prefect of St. Anthony's Ladies Sodality, and served for a time as a member the Parish Council. She was active in the Cohasset community, volunteering at the Cohasset Consignment Shop, the Social Service League of Cohasset, the Cohasset/FISH organization, and the Cohasset Senior Center. She loved gardening and flower arranging and was proud of her blue ribbon designation as a member of the Cohasset Community Garden Club and was certified to serve on the Landscape Design Council. She stayed at home for a number of years to care for her husband's mother, Mary Little, at their Cohasset home. She later obtained employment in the Bursar's office at Boston State College and the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus, and served as both a Union Steward and a Grievance Counselor. After retiring from the University in 1995, she became an Americore Volunteer and completed the program offered by the Gerontology Dept. at UMass and then volunteered at the Cohasset Senior Center for 10 years. She helped start the C.E.A. 2nd Friday Book Club that continues to this day and for many years coordinated the Book Club's scheduling and very much enjoyed the friendships she made with the club's members. Addie was a devoted parishioner at St. Anthony's, proud and strong in her faith, and will be missed by family and friends. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, March 9th, at 10:00 AM, at St. Anthony's Church, Cohasset. Visiting hours at McNamara-Sparrell Funeral Home, One Summer Street, Cohasset (across from St. Anthony's Church) on Monday March 9 from 9-10 AM. Private interment at Mount Benedict Cemetery, West Roxbury. In lieu of flowers, donations in Adeline's memory may be made to the Cohasset Senior Center or St. Anthony's Food Pantry, or the charity of one's choice.
