Alice Porter McNamara
Alice Porter McNamara, formerly of Chevy Chase, passed away on June 27 in Towson, MD, after a brief illness at the age of 91. Alice was the devoted matriarch of a large and extended family, a close friend to many, a devout Catholic, and a keen intellectual, passionate for learning throughout her long and full life.
She was predeceased in May 1963 by her husband, Joseph M. McNamara of Chevy Chase. Alice is survived by their seven children: Joseph M. Jr. (Lois) of Catonsville, Md.; David (Amy) of Chappaqua, NY; Jerome (Mary Josephine) of Silver Spring, Md.; Peter (Judy) of Ellicott City, Md.; James (Kathy) of Pfafftown, NC; Andrew (Victoria) of Washington, D.C.; and Mary Alice Goucher (Tim) of Towson; plus 16 grandchildren and a host of loving nieces and nephews.
Alice, the youngest of four daughters, was born on April 13, 1926, in Belmont, Mass. to Helen (Linehan) and Andrew Joseph Porter, and attended Belmont High School (1944). She graduated with a bachelor‘s degree from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. in 1948, and received her Master of Library Science from Simmons College in Boston in 1949.
Widowed at age 37, Alice dedicated herself to raising her seven young children while working as the librarian at their grade school. She nurtured the family’s sense of adventure she and her husband Joe had begun, including through an epic five-week camping expedition to the Rockies in 1969. She successfully shepherded all her children through Catholic high schools in Washington, D.C., and then through various colleges and post graduate degrees. Her personal example inspired and sometimes awed those who knew her. Her hallmarks were grit and determination to raise her children as productive and contributing members of society, to honor their Catholic faith, and to be an active participant in every aspect of life. In recognition of her contributions to society, the Catholic Church, and her alma mater, in 1978 Trinity College awarded her its highest alumna honor, the St. Julie Billiart award, acknowledging Alice‘s faith, courage, persistence, hope, and charity – all ideals of St. Julie Billiart.
Alice fervently believed in education as a cornerstone to success in life and in her long career held varied librarian positions starting with the Belmont (Ma.) Public Library, Boston College Law Library, the U.S. State Department Intelligence Library, Blessed Sacrament School (Washington, D.C.), and engineering firm MPR Associates. Alice also had a highly developed ability to have fun with anyone, young or old, and continued to form new significant friendships until her final days. Her lifelong passions included reading, poetry, the Washington Redskins (as well as all of her children’s athletic endeavors), archeology (as secretary and volunteer for the Archeological Society of Maryland), and volunteer involvement at all levels of Blessed Sacrament School and Church, and the John Carroll Society.
A viewing will be at the Francis J. Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Blvd. West, Silver Spring, MD (valet parking) on July 13 from 3 – 5 p.m. and from 7 – 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on July 14 at The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 3630 Quesada St., NW, Washington, D.C., followed by a celebration of Alice‘s remarkable life at the Knights of Columbus, 9707 Rosensteel Ave, Silver Spring, MD. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Alice’s memory to: The Carmelite Monastery, 1318 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore, MD 21286 (www.baltimorecarmel.org); or to Trinity Washington University, Office of Development, 125 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20017 (www.trinitydc.edu/give).
Please Click Here to View Family Slideshow
Please Click Here to View and Sign Online Guestbook
