Mary P. (Nowell) Donovan, age 93, of Brockton passed away on Monday, January 7, 2019 following a long battle with leukemia.
Mary was born in Bridgewater, Mass to Charles O and Ellen C (Borjesson) Nowell. She was a graduate of Brockton High School,class of 1943.
Mary was the wife of the late George L. Donovan, with whom she raised five daughters. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; her family was her most important priority. She was active in her daughters' school and Girl Scout activities, a founding member and officer of the St. Colman's Elementary School Parent Teacher Association and a member of St. Colman's Ladies Sodality. During her retirement years,she filled her free hours working parttime as a receptionist at the Lutheran Nursing Home in Brockton, a position which she truly enjoyed.
Family ancestry/genealogy was a particular interest and she was especially proud of her membership in the Deborah Sampson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.
Mary is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law; Mary E. Paris, Jo-Ann M. Birdsall, Deborah H. and Salvatore Pullia, Patricia A. and Hugh MacKinnon, and Nancy G. and Paul Kerrigan; her grandchildren Matthew D. Paris, Eric M. Birdsall, Rebecca Pullia DiFalco, Vincent Pullia, Melissa Pullia, Hugh MacKinnon, George MacKinnon, Daniel MacKinnon, Ryan Kerrigan, and Adam Kerrigan; eleven great grandchildren, her brother-in-law
James B. Donovan, her sister and brother-in-law Alice (Donovan) and H. Thomas Ashmore and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband George, she was predeceased by a granddaughter Jenna Birdsall, sons-in-law David H. Paris and Stephen M. Birdsall,and her siblings Charles V. Nowell, Helen Nowell Hicks, A. Margaret Nowell Crone, George Nowell, Joseph Nowell, Paul Nowell, Beatrice Nowell Barry and Rita Nowell.
The family would like to thank the loving staff of St. Joseph Manor Nursing Home for their kind and compassionate care.
Visiting hours will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton, Thursday, January 10, from 3-7pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home on Friday at 9:30am for a funeral Mass at Christ the King Church at 10:30am. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary's name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 98018, Washington DC 20090-8018 or to the Donovan/Sheehan Family Scholarship Fund, Cardinal Spellman High School, Court Street, Brockton, MA.