Marie Corless

Marie Henderson Corless, a lifelong resident of Cold Spring, passed away peacefully on May 19, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She was 88 years old. 

Born on January 26, 1937, in Cold Spring, Marie attended Our Lady of Loretto Catholic School and Haldane schools. She grew up on the north side of the Cornish Estate — always fondly referred to as “up on the hill.” Her life was grounded in family, faith, and service to her community.

 In November 1953, she married the love of her life, the late James J. Corless. Together, they raised five children: Marie Hanna, John, James, Timothy, and Thomas (Andrea). 

Marie was the proud grandmother of fourteen: Kelly, Renee (Nick), Avery, Jed, Lindsay (Danny), Theresa, Danny, Matthew, Morgan, Dennis, Delaney, Brody, Cooper, and Declan. Her legacy lives on through them, as well as fifteen great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren — all of whom brought immense joy to her life. 

She was predeceased by her parents, William and Florence Henderson (Maher); her brother, William; her sister, Rita McAndrew; her husband, James; and her great-great-granddaughter, Aliviah. 

Marie began her career at Haldane in the early 1970s, first working in the cafeteria before becoming the district’s first female school bus driver. Back when all the buses had manual transmissions and were filled well beyond capacity, Marie safely transported generations of local children. She retired in 2004 after decades of service. During her time at Haldane, she also held several positions on the CSEA board, passionately representing her fellow workers. 

For over 20 years, Marie was an active member of the Cold Spring Fire Co. #1 Ladies Auxiliary, where she held numerous positions and never hesitated to assist with fundraising events or respond to major alarms, day or night. 

She also served for many years as a poll worker for the Board of Elections, working alongside dear friends during long election days, greeting every voter who walked through the door. 

Holidays were a cherished time in Marie’s home — no detail was too small, no decoration too much. Halloween, especially, became a favorite — not for the costumes or candy, but because she knew everyone would be coming to “Gram’s House” on Parrott Street. It became a beloved tradition for the many children she once brought safely home from school, and later, their children.

 A lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Loretto, Marie was a devoted member of the church community. She served on the Parish Council and was active in the Catholic Daughters. 

She was also a committed blood donor for many years, proud of her universal O-negative blood type. She held a long-standing pact with a local family friend — “should we ever need each other...” — and was deeply saddened when she could no longer donate due to age. That giving part of her came down to her final hours of life, when attempts to have her liver donated sadly didn’t work logistically after four days of hospitalization.

 Marie was known by many names — Mom, Gram, Great Gram, friend, neighbor — and by all accounts, she embodied warmth, generosity, and unwavering dedication to the people around her.

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday May 22, 2025 at 11:00am at Our Lady of Loretto Church, 24 Fair Street, Cold Spring.  Interment will follow in Cold Spring Cemetery