BANGOR – Evelyn Marie Moriarty, 96, born in Boston in 1925, she was lovingly raised by her grandmother in an idyllic neighborhood between the river and the ocean. She met her future husband there at the age of 12, when her bike broke down near his house and he offered to fix it.

Always looking on the bright side, she enjoyed various occupations; one of her favorite jobs was as a telephone operator at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, where she worked side by side with her beloved girlfriends.

Like so many of her generation, she was profoundly affected by World War II. She was asked to write a letter conveying her thoughts about that period, to be distributed to a veteran friend on his way home from an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

Dear Ted,

My memories of World War II are so varied, and still so much a part of my thoughts. I worked as a shipfitter’s helper at the Boston Navy Yard. Most of the employees worked there for patriotic reasons — and the pay was great!

The dry dock was near my section. When those huge ships slid into that dock, with hundreds of sailors lined up to call out to us, it was a thrill. The building was cold at times, but no one really minded. We were building ships for our country. Everyone pulled together.

On Sundays, my friend and I would go into Boston. Several soldiers and sailors might ask to take us for an ice cream soda. We would be eager to do just that! At the end of the day, we would say goodbye to our new friends, who would sail away to their battle the next day.

In the last year or so of the war, my friend and I worked at the General Electric Company. That’s where we were the night the war ended. I remember our boss’s voice came over the P.A. system saying, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an announcement to make. The war is OVER.”

What a beautiful night! It was August 14, 1945.

Evelyn was predeceased by her husband, Thomas A. Moriarty; and her son, John F. Moriarty.

She is remembered with love by her children, Claire Moriarty, Thomas Moriarty, and Noreen Skoolicas and her husband William; her grandchildren, Megan and her husband Julio Gomez, Kaitlyn, and Thomas; her great-grandchildren Fleur, Josefina, and Diego; and her dear friends Kathy Moriarty and Melissa Moriarty.

A small family gathering will be held later in the summer. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.

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