Mary P. Ireland, PhD, RN
Community Health Nurse and Educator
October 28, 1942– May 2, 2025

Mary P. Ireland, PhD,RN, a dedicated community health nurse, educator, and advocate for those living with HIV/AIDS, passed away at the age of 82 on May 2, 2025, in Portland, Maine, from natural causes.

Born in Louisville, KY, Mary moved to New York City in 1964 and lived in Greenwich Village, for more than 50 years. In 1965, she married Dr. John D. Lutton, PhD (deceased), with whom she had two daughters, Laura and Marguerite. John and Mary divorced in 1980. In 1988, Mary remarried John A. Ireland, with whom she spent the remaining 33 years of her life. John (also known to friends as Jocko) and Marguerite, both preceded her in death.

Mary is survived by her younger daughter Laura Lutton Pollard and son-in-law Justice Pollard of Portland, Maine. Laura was with her when she died.

Mary was affectionately known as "Dr. Mary" or "Nurse Mary" by friends and colleagues. She earned a B.S. in nursing from Spaulding College, an M.A. and Ph.D. in nursing from New York University, with a doctoral thesis focusing on young children living with HIV/AIDS. Her career spanned pediatrics, nursing research, and teaching. During New York City's early response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, Mary worked and conducted research in the field and volunteered at the Gay Men's Health Crisis and The Door.

Mary also taught community health nursing at Rutgers University and Long Island University, and spent a year in Spain, helping to develop the baccalaureate nursing program at Saint Louis University-Madrid.

Outside of her work, Mary found joy in the culture of New York City, as well as summers in the Catskills, where she enjoyed swimming, gardening, and quiet moments with a cappuccino and a good Venice murder mystery.

A passionate and caring soul, Mary's contributions to nursing and her community will be remembered by all who knew her.

You can honor Mary's memory by making a donation to one of these organizations she supported:"

Housing Works: https://www.housingworks.org

Society of Rogerian Scholars: https://www.societyofrogerianscholars.org

The Frontier Nurses Service/ Frontier Nursing University: https://frontier.edu

Nurses House: https://www.nurseshouse.org