Ann Marie Plunkett Brien passed from this world Monday, August 21, 2017 at 12:30 AM at the age of 81. Born in Rathgar, Dublin on December 7, 1935 to Patrick and Sarah Plunkett, Ann was the fourth of seven children and educated at the Loretto schools in Dublin. In August of 1958 she followed her fiance, Hugh James Brien to Long Island, New York where they were married in February of 1959 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Manhattan.
She was a faithful and loving wife and mother of five children, Sally Holper (Dan), Susan Campbell, Una Geary (Pat), Hugh, and Deirdre Pennefather (Richard).
Her husband Hugh’s job in the U.S. Border Patrol took them to Texas where she gave birth to her first three children. In 1966, the family relocated to Woodridge, Illinois a suburb of Chicago. The two youngest Briens were born there. In 1972 the family moved to Manassas, Virginia, their final residence, and became active members of the community.
Ann was a devout Roman Catholic and an active member of All Saints Catholic Church where she served with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, as a Eucharistic minister to the sick and dying, and as a catechist. She had a vibrant presence at the Caton Merchant House, a local nursing home, and was a beacon of light for the elderly residents.
As a dedicated housewife and homemaker, Ann spent much of her time cooking and caring for both her children and later her twenty-four grand-children. Upon entering her house, a guest was given the utmost attention and invited to have a cup of hot Irish tea and good chat. She was the queen of her home and the paragon of hospitality. She also taught her children and grandchildren the importance of prayer and good works, charity being the primary virtue which she demonstrated during her lifetime. Her fierce and nurturing love for her children and for the Lord led her to be the bond that held the Brien family together.
The tables turned in the summer of 2011 when she became suddenly disabled, and her husband and children became her chief caregivers—an opportunity for her family to give back to her a fragment of what she had given to them for so many years. Even in the years after her stroke, Ann possessed an unwavering air of dignity and a steadfast faith.
She will always be remembered for her firm will and her charming aura, attending always to the often forgotten details, and a great advocate for those lonely and forgotten. Ann will live on in our memories and prayers and may she rest in eternal peace. Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them! Amen.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Divine Mercy Care in Fairfax, Virginia or Seton School, Manassas Virginia.
Visitation at Pierce Funeral Home, Manassas, VA, August 24 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM and 6:00 to 9:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at All Saints Catholic Church, Manassas, VA at 12 noon. Private interment to follow.
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