At St. Thomas High School in Pointe Claire, Quebec, she was known as Mrs. Ryan. She was an outstanding teacher of mathematics and for that she won the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Science, Technology and Mathematics in 1994. She was born Maureen Julia Sullivan in Hamilton, Ontario. Her father was transferred to Montréal when she was a child and she lived, worked and retired there. Her first marriage to Richard Ryan ended in divorce. She married Bruce Prentice in 1988 and died after a long illness in their Montréal home on February 14, 2025, at age 83. She was predeceased by her parents, Winifred and John Sullivan, and by her step-son Scott Prentice.

Maureen leaves Bruce, her step-daughter Jennifer and Bernie Beauvais and their daughters Stephanie Beauvais and Melissa Beauvais, and her step-daughter-in-law Dr. Elizabeth Foley and her sons Malcolm Prentice and Sean Prentice.