Gertrude H. (Walsh) Donahue, age 97, passed away peacefully at Westford House in Westford, MA on Friday, January 20, 2017. She was born in Lawrence, MA on August 3, 1919 to the late Peter Sr. and Katherine (Riffenburg) Walsh. Gertrude attended the Bruce Grammar School. She was a graduate of Lawrence High School and the McIntosh Business School. Gertrude worked for Daley’s Pharmaceutical Company in Lawrence, and was a long time legal secretary for Attorney Victor Hatem and Attorney Bernard Tay.
Nana, as she was affectionately known, loved life; she was always upbeat and was very active! She loved Maine and spent many years vacationing at her second home at Hid’n Pines Campground in Old Orchard Beach. She was a voracious mystery reader, and loved a good glass of white zinfandel shared with her family and friends. Nana was always ready to get up and go, and loved going “for a good ride” in the car. She was also an avid golfer and spent many happy summers on the links with her husband, George.
Gertrude was the beloved wife of the late George Donahue Jr. She was the devoted mother of Kathleen Kosowicz and her late husband Stanley of Lawrence and Thomas Donahue and his wife Tracy of Salem, NH. Nana was the loving grandmother of Jennifer Manning and her husband Kevin, Kolleen Taylor and her husband Greg, and Kristen Kosowicz and her fiancé Matt Hauck. She was the cherished great grandmother of Colin and Quinn Manning. Gertrude was also the dear sister of the late Peter Walsh and his wife Kyoko.
The Donahue family would like to express their sincere appreciation for the care provided to Nana at Westford House, where she had been a resident for the past several years.
Friends and guests are invited to call Tuesday, January 24, 2017 from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence St. Methuen. A Mass of Christian Burial will take on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 11:00 AM at St. Monica’s Parish of Methuen. Interment to follow at Immaculate Conception Cemetery of Lawrence. For directions and online guestbook, please visit the funeral home website, www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to serve the Donahue Family.