In Memory of Kay Mann
It has been almost 4 years since the passing of one of Rehoboth’s more well known and respected residents, Kay Mann. Catherine Eroe (Currier) Mann, 92, of Rehoboth, MA died peacefully, surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, September 1, 2019.
Born in Citronelle, Alabama on March 1, 1927, she was the eldest daughter of the late Simon and Murilla Currier of Bradley, Maine. In Orono, Maine before relocating to Bradley, Kay was raised alongside her 5 siblings. Kay was a 1944 graduate of Old Town High School. She then went on to earn her RN degree as a cadet nurse at St. Mary’s General School of Nursing in Lewiston in 1947.
Shortly thereafter Kay was introduced to Milton Leroy Mann Sr. of Rehoboth by a friend. Milton was the son of Edith Mann and brother of Roy Mann. Milton and Kay were married in November of 1949 on a very cold day in Maine. Kay’s brother Frank and sister Margret Ann stood by their sides as the best man and maid of honor. They lived in a house her husband built for them in Rehoboth on New Street. Together they raised 5 children; Kathy, Milton, David, Cindy, and Janice. Kay was predeceased by her husband of 51 years.
Kay’s career as a nurse was varied and extensive. Some of the many places that she worked include Jane Brown Hospital, Newport Hospital, the Board of Health in Attleboro, Norton, and part-time in North Attleboro. She was an industrial nurse at Balfour, assisted in immunizations for the local public schools with the Board of Health, and helped run the area TB clinics through Sturdy Hospital.
Kay once remarked that she liked every job she ever had. She had a positive outlook on the world and a consistent drive to go above and beyond in her efforts to do right by people. Upon her retirement as North Attleboro’s public health nurse, a coworker, Leanor Paquin, described Kay as being “about 80 percent social worker, 20 percent nurse.” She took in donations of clothing and food and distributed them to families in need. The mayor at the time, Kai Shang, said “she puts her heart into it and helped a lot of people”. This is something she continued to do up until the very end of her life. Her quiet and selfless efforts have had a lasting impact on many families in the community.
Kay’s great passion in life was to serve others. In addition to her nursing, she volunteered with the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the former Rehoboth Woman’s Club, the Rehoboth Senior Club, and St. Nicholas of Myra Women’s Guild. She always did whatever was needed; no job was too small or beneath her.
Kay Mann is survived by her five children; Kathleen Adams of Norton, MA; Milton Mann Jr. of Barrington, RI; David Mann and his wife Terry of Rehoboth, MA; Cindy Peters of Rehoboth, MA; and Janice Johnson and her husband John of Seekonk, MA. She also leaves many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and many more welcomed into her family who she loved as her own.
The desire to help others as well as a true love of medicinal science continued even after Kay’s death. Kay donated her body as an anatomical gift to the UMass Chan Medical School. Even in death she was helping others.
Kay’s ashes have recently been returned to the family and will be buried alongside her husband in West Dighton Christian Church Cemetery. The burial will be a private ceremony.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Rehoboth American Legion at 2:30 pm on July 23, 2023. All relatives and friends are cordially invited to this reception to honor the memory of Kay at 84 Bay State Road, Rehoboth MA.
