MECHANICVILLE - Madelyn (Mickey) Sweeney, 88, died peacefully on Monday August 29th, at St. Peter’s Hospital following a brief illness, resulting from a UTI (urinary tract infection) that triggered sepsis, which in turn caused major organs to begin shutting down. Mickey was the wife of the late William (Bill) Sweeney, who died on Oct. 8th, 1980. She was also predeceased by her parents Perry and Enna Brundige, her brother and his wife Oscar (Peg) Brundige and her sister and her husband Charlotte (Jimmy Blue) Durante.
Mickey is survived by her children: Gary (DOK) Sweeney and his wife Dawn, David (Doc) Sweeney and his wife Laura and Diane and her husband Jim Walser. Surviving Mickey are Gary and Dawn’s three sons Kevin (Ashley), Sean (Sara) and Mark, David and Laura’s son Craig and Diane and Jim’s daughter and son Stacey (Shane) and Michael (Kristina) and Jim’s daughters and Diane’s step-daughter’s Karen (Bill) Parlapiano and Kimberly (Ron) McCumber. Mickey is also survived by her 4 treasured great grandsons Carter, and Parker and Cohen and Liam and a foster great granddaughter Niya and step-great grandchildren Abby, Haley, Joshua, Tyler and Nick. Further Mickey is survived by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s Fran (Sharon) Sweeney, Mary Alice Russo and Phyllis Sweeney, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Mickey was born in Stillwater, in a 2nd floor apartment over the former Halfway House, which is now Ford’s Childcare, a one story building. She then moved to Valley Falls long enough to fall off of the outside railing of the bridge spanning the railroad track and Hoosic River, landing on the tracks and breaking her ankle. She later moved to Mechanicville, where she graduated high school in 1945 at 17 years of age. She commuted by train to work at tele-typing in the basement of Schenectady G.E.’s bldg # 2, where coincidently her son Gary worked in that very same basement 40 years later in G.E.’s marketing dept. She then took a promotion and traveled by bus to Montgomery Ward in Menands (imagine Montgomery Ward paying more the G.E.). She first met Bill Sweeney at Brown’s Beach, a lively club at the time, with drinking and dancing into the wee hours. They married in 1948, bought their house at 54 Mabbett St. in Mechanicville for $ 3500 (not a typo) and started a family 4 years later. She remained in her home until 18 months ago, when she moved to the Mid-Rise Apts in Mechanicville. After raising her family, to help put her children through college and save a bit more for retirement, she took a job at Galente’s Paper Mill. The work was not commensurate with the pay and she soon moved on to the State, where she held a position in Albany with the NY State Lottery Dept. She moved her way through several state departments over the years before retirement.
An avid outdoors woman and area stream trout fishing enthusiast, if you couldn’t find her up at the farmstead in her vegetable garden, at home in her flower garden, or at her camp on Schroon Lake, you might run into her fishing from the banks of the Battenkill or Mettawee Rivers, in all kinds of weather, where she was an inspiration to local are fisherman young and old alike. It seemed all they knew her, loved her. Roman Catholic, she was a communicant of All Saints on the Hudson. In the winter months, she knitted Christmas stockings, she cooked holiday dinners for the family and bowled with the Tuesday Nite Ladies. Every year she took her bowling prize money and spending none on herself, she would take her family out to a nice restaurant for dinner.
Mickey’s family would life to extend a heartfelt than you to Angela, Ashley, Craig, Linda and Marylou for their outstanding care and companionship during the past several months. In addition, special thanks go out to the Schuyler Ridge staff, Eddy Visiting Nurses, St. Peter’s emergency personnel and their 5th floor cleaner, doctors, food service personnel, nurses and technicians. We would also like to thank the Mechanicville Police Dept., Clifton Park EMS personnel and the DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home for their caring attitude and attention to detail.
Funeral Services will be held at the DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home, 39 So. Main St., Mechanicville on Tuesday, Sept 6th at 2:15 PM, with burial to follow at the Saratoga National Cemetery. Funeral Home calling hours on Tuesday from Noon to 2 PM.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Mechanicville Area Community Services Center, 6 So. Main St., in loving memory of Madelyn “Mickey” Sweeney.

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