It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, etc., Honoria Breen McAlister. Honoria passed away peacefully in her sleep on Nov. 21, 2024 after a long battle with a lung disease that robbed her of her vitality. She was 78 years old. Honoria was as unique as her Gaelic first name, that many over the years struggled to pronounce, and made an impression on everyone she met. She was very dedicated to her faith with a special affinity to the Blessed Mother, loved volunteering and helping others in ways big and small and was extremely proud of her Irish heritage.
Honoria was born in 1946 in Inwood, N.Y. (a neighborhood in Manhattan), and was the oldest of three children (Tecia and Donald), and raised by her mother (Patricia Breen). Honoria and her mother’s bond were strengthened by the immense challenges they faced in her early life.
She was married to the love of her life for 56 years, Danny Sr., and they lived for 42 years in Yorktown Heights, and the last eight in Somers, NY. They also wintered and had some of the best years of their life together in Scottsdale, Az., where Honoria’s two siblings and their families resided.
Honoria leaves behind her three loving children (Claudine, Alison and Danny Jr.) and eight grandchildren (Shane, Nate, Philip, Ben, Emmy, Luke, Patrick & Alanna). ‘Nanny’ was so glad she was able to meet her latest granddaughter, Alanna, and spend quality time with her right up until she passed. Alanna is only 5 months old.
She loved her children’s spouses as if they were her own (Ryan, Philip Sr. and Melissa). Honoria was an avid reader and active member in her long-standing and beloved ‘Book Club’ and was a world-class ‘chatter’ that could speak as frankly with her best friends or a stranger she just met at the grocery store. She had a genuine interest in people and made all feel special when conversing with them. As the Irish say, she had the ‘gift of gab’ and a great sense of humor. She was fiercely loyal and protective of her family, and always put her children and grandchildren first. She was very active in each of her children’s education, volunteering for tasks that many parents shy away from.
She had an interesting professional life, that started as an employee for Air India where she was able to travel the world with her husband and best friends Sheila & James Bremner. She would later take many other admin roles in healthcare and for big CPG companies like PepsiCo. She did lots of charity work, teaching a computer class for free at Holy Spirit Church in Peekskill, N.Y., serving the homeless at a soup kitchen in Scottsdale, Az., and supporting many other charities like the Little Sisters of the Poor (see below).
Her family jokingly referred to her as ‘Happy Pants’ because she was almost always in a good mood and had an optimistic attitude toward life. She will be sorely missed and will remain in our hearts forever with the overflowing number of funny stories and great experiences we all had with Honoria.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Bronx in Honoria’s name:
Little Sisters of the Poor: 2999 Schurz Ave: Bronx, NY 10465-3826; 347-329-1800.
https://littlesistersofthepoorbronx.org/
