Maryellen (Pickering) Ahern, 82, of Wallingford, beloved wife of John Ahern, was in her home and surrounded by family on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, when she was peacefully called into heaven. She was a parishioner of Church of the Resurrection in Wallingford. She was a devout follower of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Maryellen was born on June 21,1939 in New Haven. She and her first brother John “Jack” Pickering were the children of the late John and Helen Flynn Pickering. Her mother Helen later wed Hilding Peterson who undeniably took Maryellen and her brother under his wing and raised them as his own. The new couple later blessed Maryellen with five additional brothers and sisters: Elizabeth “Betsy” Peterson Szollosi, the late Shelia Peterson Spalding, Kathleen Peterson Burns, Frank “Buddy” Peterson, and the late Michael “Mickey” Peterson. Maryellen and John began their life together in West Haven, eventually relocated to Woodbridge, and raised four beautiful children over the years: John (Gina Murray) Ahern of North Haven, Kelly (Anthony) Bonito of Wallingford, James (Laura Neumon) Ahern of Branford, and Kevin (Janice Simjian-Jones) Ahern of Glastonbury. In 1993, the couple settled in Wallingford, and have been blessed with eight loving grandchildren since that time; Maryellen and Joseph Bonito, followed by Paige, Collin, Kaitlin, Madison, Cameron, and Megan Ahern. She had three special daughters in laws Amy Ahern, Debra Ahern, and Angela Ahern. She was especially proud to be a mother and grandmother, and always had a significant part in the development of the lives of her grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. More than anything, she loved hosting Sunday dinners for everyone; no one could turn away her Italian meatballs! Proud of her Irish heritage, she was also passionate about history and trivia.  Maryellen was a loving and caring woman; she will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. A special thanks to all the caregivers at YNHH who provided her with exceptional care over the past eight weeks.

Family and friends are invited to go directly to Church of the Resurrection, 115 Pond Hill Road, Wallingford on Saturday morning, July 24th at 10:00 to attend a Mass of Christian burial and are also invited to attend the committal service immediately following in St. John’s Cemetery, Wallingford.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Autism Services and Resources Connecticut (ASRC).