Beloved wife, mother, sister, educator

“And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand”

               – On Eagles Wings

Maureen Ann Connor-Carlson, 69, died January 27 at Temecula Valley Hospital due to complications from pneumonia.

Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, Maureen — affectionately known as “Mo” — was a beloved wife, mother, sister, and educator. She was the eldest child of John and Mary Connor and the older sister of Michael.

She graduated from Alverno Heights Academy (now Alverno High School) in Sierra Madre, California, before earning her degree in childhood development from California State University, Los Angeles. She went on to complete her master’s degree and teaching credential with an emphasis in special education and child development. A passionate advocate for children with special needs, she was an expert in the field of autism spectrum disorders, becoming a champion for special education teachers and students alike. She would work for several school districts and become an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University.

While special education was her vocation, music was her passion. A gifted singer, she taught herself to play the guitar at age 11 and joined the liturgical group at St. Dorothy’s Parish in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, just a few years later. Music — especially playing for Sunday Mass — would become a foundational cornerstone of her life.

After college, she moved to Claremont to be closer to her parents and brother Mike, who happened to be on a bowling team with Brian Carlson, the music minister at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Claremont. Brian was immediately smitten by her ethereal voice and polished musicianship. What began as an invitation to join the church group blossomed into a deep friendship and, eventually, a lifelong romance. The couple were married on July 17, 1984.

Together, they traveled across Southern California, performing at weddings, celebrations, and funerals. “Mo’s voice would effortlessly dance across the higher registers making it a perfect foil for Brian’s Irish tenor,” her family shared. “She sounds just like Judy Collins,” Brian would often say. “Her signature song was a profoundly moving rendition of Ave Maria, which she performed at the funerals of both her father, John Connor, and her father-in-law, Andrew Carlson,” her family said. Brian recalled a singular performance in a small A-frame church in Lake Tahoe, California: “Just as Mo reached the crescendo, the clouds parted, and sunlight streamed through the windows.”

Her greatest joy came with the birth of her two sons, Daniel Louis Carlson on April 22, 1985, and Andrew John Carlson on November 2, 1987. In 1996, the family moved to the growing community of Temecula, where she worked for the Temecula Valley School District until her retirement in 2017.

In retirement, she indulged in her newfound interest in gluten-free cooking and her lifelong devotion to the Philadelphia Phillies. Though she had left Philadelphia as a child, the City of Brotherly Love never left her heart. If her favorite 1970s songwriters — Elton John, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Phil Collins, Neil Diamond, and John Denver — weren’t playing in the house, then it was the Phillies game supplying the soundtrack to her life.

She is survived by her loving husband, Brian Carlson; son, Andrew Carlson; and brother, Michael Connor and his family.

“She will be remembered by countless friends, in-laws, nieces, and nephews for her beautiful voice, the way she adored her sons, her love for animals, her service to the Catholic Church, and her unwavering support for special education teachers and their students,” her family said.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, March 24 at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, 435 N. Berkeley Ave., Claremont, CA 91711.

The ceremony will be livestreamed at youtube.com/@olaclaremont.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Autism Speaks at autismspeaks.org, a cause close to her heart.