Alma Elizabeth Meagher (nee Duvall), a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and lifelong servant of church, community, and family, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2025 at the age of 97. She had been resident at Brightview Senior Living in Towson. Her husband Francis J. (Franny) Meagher, a prominent Baltimore lawyer, community volunteer, and co-founder of the law firm Goodman, Meagher and Enoch, predeceased her in May 2022.

Born in Baltimore in 1927, Alma Meagher lived on 28th street in Charles Village with her mother, elder sister, and relatives. She attended the Blessed Sacrament School before excelling both academically and athletically at Seton High School and Mt. St. Agnes college. A gifted athlete, she thrived in field hockey and basketball. She designed the scholar-athlete pendant for Mt St Agnes for the recipient of that award at their annual banquet. She graduated from Mt. St. Agnes in June 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology and magna cum laude honors. Later in life Alma was awarded by Mt St Agnes the distinguished honor of Alumna of the Year in recognition of her lifetime of service to the community.

During her college years, she met Francis (Franny) Meagher, who would become her husband. They were wed on Memorial Day 1950 married for 72 years when Franny passed in May 2022. In the early years, they lived next to Penn Station allowing them to quickly commute, Franny to Georgetown Law School and Alma to work as a medical technician at the Hospital for the Women of Maryland. They soon moved to Hamilton and began raising 10 children together and were very active in the St Dominic's parish. In 1968 they moved their family to Homeland and became deeply involved in the community life of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen for over 40 years.

A woman of deep faith, Alma was a daily communicant and a weekly lector at the Cathedral. She was committed to community service. She started and coached girls' soccer and basketball teams at Cathedral School, volunteered with the Cathedral Girl Scout troop and was co-founder and the director for 25 years of Cathedral's Adopt-a-Family program, an organization that rallied volunteers every December to ensure that hundreds of families in need received Christmas meals and gifts. Alma also prepared a weekly casserole for Our Daily Bread, provided childcare to Vietnamese refugee parents attending English classes, worked with Franny on the St. Ambrose program of housing rehabilitation for low-income families, and devoted time to youth ministry. Franny and Alma were also lifelong supporters of Chimes Industries, Forward Visions and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, organizations that had nurtured the development and mainstreaming of their daughter Mary who had been born with Down's Syndrome.

Alma was to her core a mother, a soft-spoken matriarch of a sprawling family. For decades, she hosted Christmas and Easter feasts, Vacations at Bethany Beach, DE and Labor Day crab feasts for her direct descendants and in laws and co-hosted with her sisters-in-law 4th of July and Thanksgiving feasts for the wider extended Meagher clan. At their peak these gatherings numbered in the 70s. As a grandmother, she would start shopping in August to provide at Christmas a book, a toy and something to wear to each of her 27 grandchildren and every great-grandchild, having done the same for her 10 children as they were growing up. She remembered every birthday and wedding anniversary with cards and gifts. In retirement, she and Franny attended every sports contest, performance, 1st communion, graduation, wedding and baptism of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren they possibly could.

Alma is survived by her children Francis J. Meagher, Jr. (Molly) of Allentown, PA, Margaret M. Stringer (Pat) of Towson, MD, Brigid E. Meagher of St. Peters, PA, J. Patrick Meagher (Rani Parker) of Amherst, MA, Brendan A. Meagher (Lisa) of Baltimore, Mary Rebecca Heininger (Doug) of York, PA, Sheila M. Gemignani (Dino) of Arroyo Grande, CA, Moira B. Kukla (Dale) of Charleston, SC, 27 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Francis J. Meagher and daughters Mary K. Meagher of Baltimore and Daria E. Filippelli (Frank) of Devon, PA.

A Mass celebrating her life will be offered on Thursday April 24th at 10 AM at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation at Chimes.org