Maureen Pignataro

Maureen went home to Heaven on Monday, May 19th after a short illness. She was 78 years old at the time of her death. Maureen was born in the Bronx, NY on September 11, 1946 to Helen and Arthur Guiry. Along with her mom & dad, she will now join her brothers Dennis and Arthur, and the love of her life, Jim in Heaven.
After graduating Blessed Sacrament Academy, Maureen went to work for Chemical Bank as a Loan Officer at the corner of Water & Wall Street in New York City. After several years she transferred to the Ossining, NY branch to be closer to home. In 1977 Jim fell through a roof while working for the Fire Department. This caused him to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and a doctor suggested he would benefit from the climate in Arizona. They both gasped and thought, “Oh my God, the desert” but decided to give it a try. A Fireman friend just came back from Arizona and told them to check out Fountain Hills. They flew out and fell in love with this community. They immediately went back to New York, sold their house, and in 1978 moved to Fountain Hills. They had no friends or family, but that quickly changed for them after purchasing a restaurant on the Avenue of the Fountains called The Little Café and became cooks overnight…. yikes! The good Lord must have been watching over them as they were crowded every day. The good thing was they met everybody in town and developed wonderful lasting friendships. They finally felt at home. After three long years and thousands of eggs, they sold the Café. Jim opened Southwest Heating and Air Conditioning and Maureen started real estate school and got her license to sell real estate. She always said it was the best decision she ever made. Soon after she joined MCO Realty and remained there for her entire real estate career of over 45+ years. She thought of MCO as her second family and always said it was the best company, brokers and agents. She was so proud to be a part of it. She absolutely loved working with buyers and sellers and developed wonderful lasting friendships that she cherished with so many of them from all over the world.
Active in the community, Maureen served as President of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce for 2 years. Due to her efforts along with the Board of Directors, they brought the February Fountain Festival to the community which is a huge success to this day. Maureen also served as President of the Church of the Ascension Parish Council and head of the Finance Committee for many years. She also served as a Lector at mass and made time to be Co-Chair of the Fountain Hills MLS and run their Friday tours. All in all, she loved her Church & Community!
Maureen leaves behind her brother Thomas Guiry of North Carolina and 3 of the best sister in-laws anyone could ever ask for; Nancy Guiry, Margaret Guiry and Nancy Guiry whom she loved so dearly. She also leaves behind over 60 nieces and nephews and so many dear friends that she loved. She always said, “I had a blessed life filled with love and I have zero regrets. I thank God for all he has given to me, and to all my family and friends. I love you all and I will miss you all. But we will meet again”.
A celebration mass for Maureen will be held at The Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills on June 7, 2025 at 10:00AM. Please come and celebrate her life.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to St Jude’s Hospital and put a smile on the faces of those children with cancer in hopes a cure will be found.