COAKLEY, Alice Louise Dolan Formerly of Needham, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2020. Alice was 91 years young. Beloved wife for 55 years of the late Paul Joseph Coakley, devoted mother of Maura Coakley Cleary and her husband John of Winchester, Julie Coakley Marvin and her husband Todd of Acton, Ann Coakley of Newton and her partner Michael Morris, and Paul Coakley and his wife Lulu of Winchester. Alice was a loving Granny to Ethan and Keiran Marvin; Billy, Mary Lou, and Kaitlyn Coakley. Loving sister of James Dolan, the late Mary Dolan Corcoran, and the late Margaret “Peggy” Dolan. Alice is survived by many wonderful nieces and nephews and dear friends.
Alice was the youngest daughter of the late James Dolan and Bridget Donagher Dolan. Alice was born in Weston and was a 1945 graduate of Weston High School. She attended Bryant & Stratton Business School and worked in Auburndale as an executive secretary for Richard White & Sons before marrying Paul Coakley in 1956. She then devoted her time to raising four children, being an active volunteer in the Needham community, and enjoying treasured time with her five grandchildren.
Alice had a bright smile and was a world-class listener. She adored her family, read voraciously, loved to listen to the radio (be it sports, late-night talk, or Irish tunes), and always enjoyed a dance to any song with “a good beat.” Alice was incredibly active outdoors, whether raking leaves, walking, or biking. She was an excellent cook perhaps best known for her homemade chocolate chip cookies. Alice was a long-time member of St. Bartholomew’s Parish in Needham. We will miss her quiet humor, grace, warmth, and kindness.
Funeral Mass in celebration of Alice’s life will be at 10:00 am on Monday, March 2 at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 1180 Greendale Ave., Needham. All family and friends are invited to join. Interment immediately following in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Needham. In lieu of flowers, the family requests well-wishers commit an act of kindness in Alice’s memory.