Maria Florentina McDermott, 94, passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025, in the loving company of her family.

Maria was born in Puerto Montt, Chile, in 1931, and grew up alongside her five siblings. She loved to tell stories of her childhood in Puerto Montt – from rides in a rowboat with her father, to roller skating in the town center. As a teenager, she moved with her family to Santiago and worked in her mother's dress boutique.

In her 20s, she moved to New York City, where she met her husband, Thomas Patrick McDermott. The two enjoyed a long and loving marriage, raising their daughters, traveling extensively and living abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They settled in Wellesley Massachusetts In 1979, where they lived until Tom's untimely death in 2009. In 2016, Maria moved to Belmont to live with her daughter, Clare.

Maria's greatest love was her family – her husband, five siblings, three daughters, six grandchildren, as well as beloved extended family. Her deep faith sustained her, guiding her actions and inspiring her compassion for those around her. She was also a lifelong advocate for the less fortunate: volunteering with Metco, visiting families in Rio's favelas, and tutoring at a women's prison ministry. Maria also enjoyed important and lasting friendships that spanned her lifetime.

Maria is survived by her loving sister, Maluchi Correa; daughters and sons-in-law, Rosemarie and Marc Dilorenzo, Clare McDermott and Bryan Spencer, and Teresa McDermott and partner David Cutler; grandchildren, Sofia Dilorenzo, Peter Dilorenzo, Alessandra Spencer-Pereira, Lucas Abeln, Bernard Spencer and Oscar Spencer; and cherished extended family, Geraldine and Sean Pender, and Shukuko McDermott. Her husband, Thomas; her siblings, Hernan, Carmen, Yolanda and Teresa; brother-in-law Dermod McDermott; and parents, Luzmira Reimann and Emiliano de Miguel, await her in eternal rest.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on July 21st at 10 AM, at St. Paul's Church, 502 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA. In lieu of a wake, family and friends may gather with the family at St. Paul's at 9:30 AM before the funeral Mass. A burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery, Needham, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Maria may be made to Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts (corunummealcenter.org). Online guestbook at BurkeFamilyFuneralHome.com