Mary Standley, an anchor for diocesan Labor Guild

For nearly half a century, Mary Joan (Gavin) Standley was the friendly and familiar woman who greeted each person who called or visited the Labor Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston .

"Mary had a little piece of artwork that she did," said the Rev. Edward Boyle , the executive secretary of the guild, an interfaith labor management center. "It says, 'You're welcome to this house.' It was a sign on the wall, but Mary made it come to life. She embodied that welcoming spirit."

Mrs. Standley, who served as office manager for the Labor Guild for 44 years, died Thursday at her home in Norwood of complications from brain cancer. She was 74 .

Born in Flushing, N.Y., Mrs. Standley graduated from Bayside High School in New York and from the Pratt Institute in New York, where she studied art.

In 1954, she married John N. Standley , her high school sweetheart, and the two moved to Jamaica Plain in 1957. He died in a car crash that same year.

Mrs. Standley began working for the guild in 1962, at the request of her uncle, who was the former executive secretary of the Labor Guild.

Her uncle "asked her to come in and help out for a couple of hours here and there," said Mrs. Standley's daughter, Cathy A. Quinn of Westwood. "It turned into a lifetime job."

Mrs. Standley contributed much more than her title implied, Boyle said. She answered the phones, greeted clients, decorated the office, and made sure every visitor felt welcomed.

"She kept the guild operating on a day-to-day basis, and she brought not only joy but also beauty to our workplace," he said.

Mrs. Standley was an active member of the Democratic Party. She also lived in Roslindale before she moved in 1991 to Norwood, where she served on the Town Democratic Committee beginning in 1992 and as an elected Town Meeting member beginning in 1998, her daughter said.

Her passion for politics also led her to volunteer for various campaigns. Most recently, her daughter said, Mrs. Standley worked on Deval Patrick's gubernatorial campaign by making phone calls and holding signs at rallies.

When she was not working at the guild or taking part in political events, Mrs. Standley would be painting. "Anything that would sit still for five minutes, she'd paint," her daughter said.

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Standley leaves two grandsons, two granddaughters, and a great-grandson.

A funeral Mass will be said today at 11 a.m. in St. Catherine of Siena Church in Norwood. Burial will be in Old Calvary Cemetery.