Judith A. (McGuiness) Dacey, 71, quietly slipped from life Monday, March 4th, surrounded by her family and friends who had become her family. She is survived by her husband and love of her life, James C. Dacey, with whom she spent 47 wonderful years. She leaves in love her daughter, Moira C. (Dacey) Coakley and the son in law she loved as her own, Timothy, both of Worcester; her beloved son, Sean F. Dacey and his partner, Leanne Ahronian, also of Worcester; her adored brother James McGuiness and his wife Tammy, who was the sister of her heart; her brother William McGuiness and his wife Colleen; and her sister, Laurie McGuiness Morrison; all of Worcester. Judy was predeceased by a sister, Mary McGuiness. Judy also leaves with heartfelt love her sisters and brothers in law, her many nieces and nephews, all of whom meant the world to her, and all of the children and grandchildren she had “adopted” as her own over the years, many of whom came to say their goodbyes before she left this world.
Judy (“Jude”) was born in Worcester in 1948 to her much loved and missed parents, William J. McGuiness and Rita (Farrell) McGuiness. Judy attended Nelson Place Elementary and St Mary’s, graduating from North High School in 1966. She attended and graduated from the Salter School which she always laughingly remembered for failing the then required charm classes. Her type of charm couldn’t be taught.
Judy was employed by the Worcester Public Schools for 25 years, retiring in 2008. She was a fierce advocate and member of the International Laborers’ Union. She had an uncanny gift for bringing people together, creating “families” of friends, whether it was her family of co-workers and students at Chandler Magnet School, or her family at Ted Williams Little League where she volunteered as baseball mom to so many for 38 years. She enjoyed nothing more than sitting on the bleachers in the sun cheering her multitude of adopted kids on, encouraging and supporting them both on and off the diamond. Her love of baseball was legendary; she was an avid Red Sox, Portland Sea Dogs and Duggans Paint fan, spending hours listening to Sox games on the radio and keeping her own books on the games, complete with superlatives and criticisms only she could have invented and for which she was legendary. Judy was endlessly creative, hand making Halloween costumes, knitting handmade Irish sweaters, and putting together unique and thoughtful gifts for those she loved just because she loved them. She had an innate capacity for empathy and thoughtfulness, and was known for opening her heart and home to any who stepped into her life. She created a haven for her children and their friends, loving nothing more than having a house filled with teenagers at all hours of the night and day, knowing that by doing so they were safe and, in a place, where they were loved and cared for. Judy never turned down someone in need, and many were the holidays that would bring strangers or friends in need of a home to her table to share in the joy she lived her entire life with.
She loved steaming hot baths, Irish music, good books, her bright red Little Red Riding Hood coat, bowls of hot chocolate, flannel nightgowns, Jimmy Gilrein’s baked stuffed potatoes, penguins, Bernie Sanders, trips to Maine and her beloved White Mountains, and shocking people into laughter with her jokes and “Judy-isms.” She had a flair for words, creating truly memorable phrases that always brought shouts of shocked laughter. Most of all she loved people, from every walk of life. She was legendary for engaging complete strangers in conversation on the T (making them forget their stops) or at Sox games, sharing her love of life freely and always unconditionally. She laughed hard, worked hard, and loved the most. She was, and is, so very much loved.
In the words of Dickens, she did Christmas well.
Judy’s funeral will be Saturday, March 9th from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a Mass celebrating her life at 11:30 AM at St. John’s Church, 40 Temple Street, the parish she loved so well. Her family invites those who loved her to attend a celebration following Mass at the Hibernian Cultural Center Fiddler’s Green Pub, located across the street at 19 Temple Street. Calling hours are Friday, March 8th from 4:00 until 8:00 PM in the funeral home. Burial will be private and at the convenience of Judy’s family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Judy’s favorite charity, one she donated monthly to for almost 40 years, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.