Sheila Mary Clancy will be remembered, her family said, as a caring mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and aunt to her five children, six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, one sister, and 37 nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Clancy, who lived in Montauk and Florida, died on Oct. 7 at home in East Hampton, where she had been living with her daughter since 2015. She was 91.
Born on May 20, 1930, in Ballintogher in County Sligo, Ireland, she was a daughter of Patrick and Mary Clancy. At the age of 18, she chased her “American dream” and immigrated to New York City. She worked as a waitress at Stouffer’s restaurant there until she met her future husband, Michael J. Clancy, who just happened to have the same last name, at one of the many Irish dances held in local parish churches.
They were married in 1951 and settled in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. They were part of a tightly knit Irish immigrant community in the city, participating in benefits, attending Irish football games at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, and hosting visitors from Ireland.
The family spent many summer days in Montauk and eventually built a house there. Later, the couple split their time between the South Fork and Florida. Mr. Clancy died in 1995.
In Florida, Mrs. Clancy attended Irish dances well into her 80s with friends from the Irish Club of Port Orange. She enjoyed reading and was an expert at knitting sweaters and baking Irish soda bread. She was fond of spending time with friends and family and was especially delighted by visits from her great-grandchildren. She had a keen sense of humor, her family said.
Mrs. Clancy’s children are Colette Clancy and Kevin Clancy of East Hampton, Cyril Clancy of Fairfield, Conn., Owen Clancy of Little Neck, Queens, and Michael Clancy, most recently of New York City. A sister, Eileen Morgan of Old Bethpage, also survives.
A funeral Mass was said at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk, with burial at Fort Hill Cemetery, next to her husband.
Her family has suggested memorial donations to East End Hospice, online at eeh.org, or to the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association, 1 Cedar Street, East Hampton 11937.
