Mary K. Galvin

Mary K. Galvin, 83, former Wakefield Town Clerk, passed away Saturday, August 8, 2026.

Mary K. was a native of Wakefield, and Wakefield never really left her. She was raised there, and in her heart, it was — without question — the best town in America. She carried that love with her all her life, in her devotion to the town and in the countless residents she came to know and help along the way.

She was a graduate of Wakefield High School, Class of 1961, and went on to earn a degree from Fisher Junior College of Boston and to complete studies at the New England Municipal Clerks Institute at St. Michael's College in Vermont.

Mary K. spent her career in service to the town she loved. She had a broad range of experience in local town government, having served for 20 years as administrative secretary to the Town Administrator and for 17 years as Clerk to the Wakefield Board of Selectmen, before going on to serve as Town Clerk. It was a role she cherished, one that let her spend her days helping neighbors and friends navigate the everyday business of the town she called home, always with patience, warmth, and a genuine interest in the people she served. She earned her title as a Certified Municipal Clerk and was a member of the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association, the New England City and Town Clerks Association, and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.

Mary K. was proud of her Irish heritage, and she was just as well known for her love of the color pink, which had a way of finding its place in her wardrobe, her home, and the small touches she brought to everything around her.

She spent many summers at York Beach with her family and made friends everywhere she went. She was very generous and would help anyone in need any way she could.

She was the daughter of the late Major Henry F. Galvin, a retired Wakefield police officer, and the late Mary I. (Lennon) Galvin. She was the sister of Robert Galvin of Rhode Island and the late Edward Galvin.

Mary K. is the proud mother of Tim Brassil, Kathy Hanson and her husband Scott, and Fred Swenson. She is the devoted grandmother of Jennifer Golden and her husband Dennis, Sarah Brassil, Jessica Brassil, Sadie Swenson, and Jack Swenson, and the great-grandmother of Charlotte and Veronica Golden.

Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Avenue, Wakefield, on Thursday, August 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. Private interment will be at Forest Glade Cemetery in Wakefield.

The family has planned a Celebration of Mary K's life at the Westside Social Club, located at 4 Harrington Ct, Wakefield, on Friday, August 21st, 1-4 pm. Everyone is welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the Wakefield Independence Day Committee, supporting the July 4th parade that she loved.