Marie Conley of Boston, MA, for sacrificing her life to save a young boy by shielding him with her own body from a car that was barreling towards him.

Marie Conley of Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized for sacrificing her own life to save another on October 21, 2008. At the time of the incident, Conley was employed as a Boston Police Civilian School Crossing Traffic Supervisor and had been working in the post for eight years. Each day, Conley assisted hundreds of children in navigating the streets around Mathers Elementary School in Dorchester.  That Tuesday morning, Conley was directing traffic at the intersection of Parish and Winter streets.  She halted traffic to help lead a young boy through the crosswalk and noticed a vehicle barreling towards her and the child.  In a split-second decision, Conley shielded him with her own body to protect the boy and was struck by the reckless driver’s vehicle and sustained massive head and body trauma.  Several days after the accident, Conley, a single mother of four and grandmother to five, passed away from her injuries.  Marie Conley’s act of extraordinary selflessness and bravery in sacrificing her life for another continues to be an inspiration and a credit to the state of Massachusetts and to her fellow Americans