Marie Conley: Crossing guard died while saving young student from speeding car in 2008.The death of a loved one can be a paralyzing experience regardless of circumstance, but one Dorchester family has fought back their tears and continues to give to the community that embraced them while they wrestled with the sudden loss of their mother.

On the morning of October 21, 2008, Marie Conley, a crossing guard at the Mather School on Meetinghouse Hill, was guiding children towards the school when an elderly driver sped through the intersection. Standing in the middle of the road, Conley was able to shield one of her 10-year-old charges from the oncoming vehicle. But the mother of four from Pope’s Hill was fatally injured during the incident.

While the Conley family still struggles with the loss of Marie, they say the outpouring of support from friends and neighbors in the difficult months following the accident inspired them to continue the community-oriented work of their mother, eventually organizing the Marie J. Conley Scholarship Fund, which has generated more than $90,000 in tuition money for community-minded children attending Catholic high schools in the area.

Joe Finn, Marie’s brother and one of the fund’s lead organizers, said the choice to give back was an easy one.

“Marie loved those kids, she was good to everyone in the neighborhood and they were good to her,” Finn said. “All of this is our way to remember her and all the hard work she did for all of us.”

Funding for scholarships comes largely from an annual three-course charity golf tournament, raffle, and auction. Now in it’s third year and scheduled for September 30, Marie’s son Michael said the support from so many familiar faces has helped ease their grieving.

“The majority of people in some way or another knew my mother, family, friends, everyone on the golf course somehow knew her,” Michael said. “Sometimes it feels like the accident happened a month ago, but it’s so nice to see people show their appreciation. That’s what makes me feel really good about all this.”

While the Conleys continue to remember Marie through their charity work, they are not the only ones to remember the October morning that changed their lives. Earlier this year, a panel composed of America’s surviving Medal of Honor recipients recognized Marie’s sacrifice out of hundreds of applicants by awarding her a posthumous Citizen Service Before Self Honors, one of the nation’s highest awards available to civilians.

The recognition was particularly touching for Christopher Conley, a United States Marine Corps veteran who was serving a tour in Iraq at the time of Marie’s accident. Christopher said he was gearing up for a patrol a day after the incident when he learned his mother had been hurt and rushed back to the states to be by her side. Following her death, Christopher recalled the countless meals brought to the grieving family, a sign that they were not suffering alone.

Now back in the States, Christopher was able to receive the award for his mother this March at the Arlington Cemetery in front of more than 90 Medal of Honor recipients, friends and family.

“In truth, I was just blown away by it. I was getting a medal handed to me by some of the most courageous people in the world,” Chris Conley said. “I was in awe.”

Despite the pride Christopher said he felt for his mother as he accepted Marie’s award, he realized no ceremony could sum up the down-to-earth, giving nature of his mother.

“I told a reporter in Washington that if she was here, she wouldn’t be accepting these rewards,” Christopher said. “She did things because they were the right thing to do, that’s how she lived. If she was here, she’d say she was just doing her job.”

To learn more, contribute, or take part in the upcoming golf tournament, go to mariejconleyscholarshipfund.org.