Mary Boffa’s hobby was her sprawling, close-knit family. She had 3 sisters and nearly 30 first cousins. They provided plenty to do on weekends. When she was growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, there was always a cousin to play with. Her father was a blue-collar worker at Western Electric and her mother was a school cafeteria worker. At age 45, Ms. Boffa was an associate vice president for Marsh & McLennan, the financial services conglomerate in 1 World Trade Center. She had recently separated from her husband and moved into a two-bedroom apartment on Staten Island. It had a view of the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge. She had new furniture. "She was very excited," said her nephew, Michael Trudeau. "It was renewal for her."
Copyright (c) 2001 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted by permission.
