Mary Forde is the daughter of Anne (née Sammon) and the late Liam Forde, who hailed from County Mayo. She is the granddaughter of the late Anne (née Fitzpatrick) (Co. Cavan) and Daniel (Co. Clare) Sammon, as well as Mary (née Moyles) and Patrick Forde. Mary is the sister to Patrick (Maria), Anne, and William (Kristen), and the proud aunt to Ashley, Patrick, and Ava.  Ms. Forde is the fiancée of Matthew Walsh.  A lifelong resident of Broad Channel, Mary is an active parishioner of St. Virgilius Church. Mary completed her grade school education at St. Virgilius School and attended Beach Channel High School before obtaining her bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary College, New York. Subsequently, Mary earned two graduate degrees from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, including a Master of Science in Organizational Management and an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA).  Currently, Mary serves as an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager at Ridgewood Savings Bank, where she has dedicated 26 years to her career.  Over the years, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, participating in various charitable initiatives, including the Cystic Fibrosis and Special Olympics plunges.  Mary, became a member of Division 25 of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) in 2007, serving as treasurer from 2009 until 2023, and has held the position of Queens County LAOH Treasurer since 2013. Additionally, she has served as the Corresponding Secretary for the Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Cultural Committee and served as a Deputy Grand Marshal in 2019.  From her earliest memories of dance and music lessons with Bernadette, JoAnn, and the late Eileen Buckley, to Saturday night ceilis at St. Francis de Sales with St. Brendan’s Gaelic Society, to her ongoing LAOH work, Mary has remained deeply committed to keeping Irish culture and tradition alive in Queens.  Mary remains dedicated to the preservation of Irish culture and traditions. She expresses her gratitude to her extensive Irish family, friends, LAOH sisters, AOH brothers, and her colleagues at Ridgewood Savings Bank for their unwavering support in nurturing her strong Irish heritage.