January 17, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituarues

Sister Consuelo Maria Aherne

Sister Consuelo Maria Aherne, 92, a former assistant superior general of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and professor of history at Chestnut Hill College, died Dec. 27 at St. Joseph Villa, Flourtown, after a long illness. 

Sister Consuelo Maria taught history at the college and chaired the department for 21 years. She also lectured for several summers in the graduate school at Catholic University of America.

Leaving the college in 1969, she was a teacher and administrator for two years at the John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md., before becoming assistant superior general and treasurer of her order. In this capacity, she enrolled the sisters in Social Security and paid off the debt for St. Joseph Villa, a retirement home.

Sister Consuelo Maria returned to the college in 1980 after a year of study at the Gregorianum and Pontifical North American College in Rome. Until her retirement in 1993, she taught history and later assisted in the graduate division and engaged in research on the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

A medieval scholar, she was the author of Valerio of Bierzo: An Ascetic of the Late Visigothic Period. She also wrote Joyous Service, a history of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, Mass., and was a contributor to The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia 1847-1947.

She published numerous book reviews and articles in the Catholic Historical Review and was a contributor to The New Catholic Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion, of which she was editor. She also was the author of a volume of poetry.

A leader in ecumenism, Sister Consuela Maria served on many interfaith committees and was highly regarded by leaders of various religious denominations. She pioneered social justice awareness among the sisters of her order and worked to promote the United States Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Born Elizabeth Aherne, the daughter of Anna and John Aherne, Sister Consuelo Maria spent her childhood in St. Francis of Assisi parish in Germantown. She graduated from the John W. Hallahan Catholic High School for Girls with high honors and attended Chestnut Hill College for one year before entering the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1933.

As a young sister, she taught at the Cecilian Academy in Mt. Airy and Nativity Elementary School in Port Richmond.  She received her doctorate in medieval history from the Catholic University of America in 1949.

Sister Consuela Maria is survived by sisters, Jeanne Brady and Sister Marion Aherne, SSJ. A brother, the Rev. John R. Aherne, OSA, preceded her in death.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 31 at St. Joseph Villa.

Christopher Perry IV

Christopher James Perry IV, 70, of Wyndmoor, a great-grandson of the founder of the Philadelphia Tribune, died Jan. 1 at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Mr. Perry is survived by his wife, Edith Smith Perry; sons Christopher James V, Eric Joseph, Marc Hampton, Matthew Heywood, and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on Jan. 5 at the Kirk & Nice Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Heart Failure Clinic, Abington Memorial Hospital, 1200 Old York Road, Abington, PA 19001.

Anna Gallagher

Anna Christina Maguire Gallagher, 95, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a practical nurse who had worked at Chestnut Hill Hospital and the Leamy Home in Mt. Airy, died Jan. 8, in St. Cloud, Minn., where she had been living since September. 

Mrs. Gallagher had lived on Ardleigh Street, near Southampton Avenue for 62 years. She was the wife of Daniel Philip Gallagher who died in 1988.

Born in Glenties, County Donegal, Ireland, she came to the United States with her family when she was 16 years old, settling in Chestnut Hill. 

Mrs. Gallagher graduated from St. Louis Academy in County Monaghan, Ireland, and was the first person from her town to attend high school, other than men studying for the priesthood. 

After moving to Chestnut Hill, she completed a commercial business program at Our Mother of Consolation School. She received a diploma in practical nursing from the National School of Nursing in Philadelphia.

A member of Our Mother of Consolation Parish for 78 years, Mrs. Gallagher enjoyed walking in Chestnut Hill and meeting her many friends in the area.

Mrs. Gallagher is survived by daughters Katherine Langan, Mary Rose O’Neill, Joanne Gilmore and Edith Boyd; sons Daniel, Bernard and Patrick; three brothers, Bernard Maguire, the Rev. C. Joseph Maguire and Daniel Maguire; two sisters, Kate Lindh and Teresa Duff; 15 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Gallagher’s son, the Rev. C. Joseph Maguire will celebrate a funeral Mass for his mother at 1 p.m. Jan. 19 at Our Mother of Consolation Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave.

Family and friends may call at the Jacob Ruth’s Funeral Home from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.

George Tamaccio

George Robert Tamaccio, 62, of Black Creek, British Columbia, formerly of Mt. Airy, died Dec. 12 after a debilitating illness. 

Mr. Tamaccio and his wife relocated to the Comox Valley area of Vancouver Island in the summer of 2005 after living for 20 years in West Mt. Airy. They moved to western Canada to pursue a rural, sustainable lifestyle and to start a farm and orchard.

During his time in B.C., Mr. Tamaccio became engaged in local issues and worked as a consultant for a community food security action project, was a founding member of a sustainability activists network, and, until his death, was active in the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition.

A Philadelphia native and a graduate of Pennsylvania State University in biology, Mr. Tamaccio also completed an independent study in epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

He was a Vietnam War draft resister who chose jail over military service and a passionate environmental activist, advocate and policy consultant who played a leadership role in numerous environmental organizations, spurring many citizens to take action and become involved politically. 

From 1979-1986, Mr. Tamaccio was regional political director (Pa./N.J.) for the League of Conservation Voters. For six years, he served as community relations coordinator for Superfund sites for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

From 1994 until he left Philadelphia, he worked for a private consulting firm, Solutions for Progress, where he served as senior policy analyst, director of sustainable development, and associate director. Mr. Tamaccio also served as president of the Pennsylvania League of Conservation Voters and was active on behalf of numerous liberal political candidates.

He was an avid reader who especially enjoyed science fiction and alternative histories.

Mr. Tamaccio’s wife of 22 years, Judy Goldschmidt, was a former marketing director for the Chestnut Hill Business Association and a contributing writer to the Chestnut Hill Local.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Tamaccio is survived by sisters Mary Boring and Celia Pettit.

A memorial service was held Dec. 28 at Mishkan Shalom in Roxborough.

Memorial contributions  may be made to either Comox Valley Water Coaltion, Box 320, Union Bay, BC V0R3B0, Canada, or Mishkan Shalom, 4101 Freeland Ave., Phila., PA 19128.