Maureen Geary Brosnan 

Obituary - June 22nd, 2025

Maureen (Geary) Brosnan was born on November 24, 1950 in Bloomfield, NJ to William and Frances Geary, and was known affectionately as Maur, Moo, Moe, and Mooner by friends and family. She grew up in Scotch Plains alongside her five sisters Pat, Kath, Jean, Ellen & Marybeth, and graduated from Union Catholic High School.

She loved the outdoors from a young age, and had many stories of adventures in the woods behind her childhood home - climbing trees, snow sledding, and ice skating. Family vacations to the Jersey Shore were cherished and continue to this day for the Geary descendants. After high school, she attended Immaculata College in Washington, D.C. a city that expanded and deepened her understanding of the world, and where she later met Ted Brosnan. Ted and Maureen were married in 1975 and had three children: Tim, Kayti, and Patrick.

Maureen was an ever-present mother, always supportive of whatever sports and activities her kids were into, and regularly volunteered as team mom, field trip chaperone, PTA member, and CCD teacher. She was a licensed animal rehabilitator in the state of New Jersey, and nursed a range of injured or abandoned animals back to health, including raccoons, squirrels, woodchucks and opossums (with that one exception of the time she was entrusted with a flying squirrel, which quickly glided out of sight down the basement stairs, and met its demise in the washing machine. Or that other time she left the raccoons unattended and little Rocky pulled a baseboard heater onto himself, which landed him in the animal hospital and necessitated double leg casts).

When the family lived in San Antonio in the 90’s, Maureen was a beloved substitute teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, before she landed a job there as a library assistant. She threw herself headlong into the role, creating elaborate bulletin boards and various display shelves that highlighted books and authors to draw students in. She had a spacious heart, able to connect with the full spectrum of kids, from the freaks and geeks, to troublemakers, to the athletes and popular crowd. One of her strongest qualities was her ability to listen. She took such genuine interest in what was going on in people’s lives and was the mom that your friends loved to chat with in the carpool or at the kitchen island. There was never an agenda, just questions and empathy - or encouragement - whichever seemed necessary. She had a remarkable talent for making people feel seen. And if you did something nice for her or her kids, you received a letter - a long, eloquent, hand written note of sincere recognition and appreciation.

An amateur, but talented, interior designer - the homes she stewarded were warm and creatively styled on a modest budget. Upon moving to San Antonio, she adopted a Georgia O'Keeffe motif, replete with pastel upholstery and Southwestern decor, before transitioning to more of a Tuscan-Hill Country farmhouse in the later years. She had a knack for fashion, keeping her outfits and those of her children crisp and current with the finest offerings from Marshalls, Ross or Rags to Riches. She was never afraid to hot glue a genuine Guess patch onto a generic jean pocket, or sew trendy shorts out of the same fabric prints and patterns that were sold for "outrageous" retail prices. An old school DIY'er, if the soccer team needed t-shirts - she ran fabric paints by hand. Halloween costumes were next level. And for a variety of occasions, she was a self-taught videographer, creating and editing highlight videos using a gigantic camcorder and VHS player. 

In 2002, Maureen pioneered out on her own to Boulder, CO, fulfilling a lifelong dream of living near the mountains. Crafty and industrious, at age 54 she started a boutique gardening business from scratch. The “little lady in the big pickup truck”, nothing made her happier than having her hands in the soil with the Front Range and the Flatirons as her backdrop. The labor in the garden was only part of the Garden Keeper experience; just as important were the relationships forged with everyone along the way. While picking up plants at the local nursery, grabbing materials at the hardware store, or dropping off brush at Eco-Cycle, she knew employees by name and regularly inquired about their personal lives. Her clients often became friends, and she was trusted with dog sitting, house sitting, and elaborate holiday decorating each December. Never one to sit still, when she wasn’t working she was out hiking at Chautauqua, walking around Wonderland Lake, paddle boarding, or enjoying the quiet of an evening snowfall. She never lost enthusiasm for her surroundings - and filled up our voicemail boxes with descriptions of the snowstorm she got caught driving in, the deer that stood by her at sunset, or the aspens turning gold in September.

As a grandmother, she was the one and only “Mooner,” - she was known for her oversized curlers, immense collection of vitamins, and her unmatched ability to leave tiny pieces of gum anywhere she went. On visits, she loved morning yoga sessions with her grandkids and exploring the Austin outdoors. She was seemingly never without black licorice, ginger chews, a bottle of kombucha and a bag of celery or some variation of that. Her uniqueness made us chuckle as much as it drove us crazy. Though we’d all caution against it, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity for a slumber party with the grandkids, despite the sleep deprivation that inevitably ensued. More than anything, she just wanted to be there, up close, to marvel and laugh with the children of her children.

Maureen was no stranger to life’s obstacles and personal challenges. Her small frame produced an immense amount of grit and resilience. In her final season, she faced the cruelest of adversaries - Alzheimer’s disease. For someone who lived a life of enduring optimism and enthusiasm for the future, there came an abrupt collapse of possibility. Mind, health, and shared experiences began to fade. But the persistence of her spirit and life-long intentions somehow took new form. The last five years generated a wealth of compassion and connection with her kids and grandkids, whom she visited with almost daily. Reflection and collaboration amongst our families brought a depth of understanding and healing that we are all grateful for. We slowed down and turned toward each other. We repaired wounds and did things differently. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t smooth - it was authentically imperfect people choosing to work through hard things and return to what is important and enduring: love. And it was worth every damn minute. In the end, she never forgot us. She knew us until her very last breath, a connection that not even Alzheimer’s could break, a connection we never knew could be so beautiful and gentle, whole and complete. We love you Mom, forever and always.

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