Heather Anne O'Loughlin (1963-2020)
We lost Heather's kindness, generosity, intelligence, spark and beauty earlier this month. Now we can only hope to remember her.
Heather was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and remained proud of her home town her entire life, touting the city's virtues to friends and businesses alike.
Heather graduated from Nardin Academy in Buffalo before attending Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, majoring in history and winning numerous academic awards and scholarships. Heather served as President of the Student Council, where she worked to insure that all groups were treated equitably, and on the college's Board of Trustees, where she worked to divest the school's endowment from South African investments. Heather was a strong believer in the value of a liberal arts education, often stating that the critical thinking and analysis required by her professors provided the foundation of her future success.
After graduating, Heather briefly worked in the Five College Area before moving to Boston to work as a state legislative aide. Heather helped ordinary people navigate the state bureaucracy and also served as a budget analyst. However, she was proudest of her work on one of the state's first domestic violence bills.
Heather then moved to Shawmut Bank, working in municipal finance to help the cities and towns of Massachusetts remain solvent during the budget crises of the time, using her knowledge gained from the state house. After Shawmut, Heather spent the remainder of her professional life as a securities analyst, first at Fidelity Investments and then at State Street Global Advisors. While at SSgA, Heather focused on all aspects of the tech industry, both domestic and international, and loved nothing more than to successfully defy Wall Street conventional wisdom about which companies to invest in and which to avoid. Heather also worked at Decision Economics and America's Growth Capital before illness forced her to stop working professionally.
At the end of the work week, Heather loved watching the latest blockbuster or lesser known independent films with friends at local theaters. Weekends and vacations were for the outdoors, whether on the Cape or the Islands, at Crane Beach on the North Shore or at Castle Island in South Boston. Tours of Boston Harbor, whale watches and drives around Massachusetts during the fall were favorite activities, as were walking around Charlestown, Boston and the Charles River.
When Heather could no longer work, she dedicated the rest of her life to her passions: her family; history, particularly Colonial American history; the stock market; the environment and animal welfare. Being housebound prevented Heather from helping as much as she wished, but she used social media to promote her causes, and to keep in touch with friends from Buffalo, school and work. Heather loved the time she had with cats Pumpkin, Clementine and Bubbie. She also loved music, in particular, Motown, U2 and Gregorian chant. Play them and think of her.
Heather is survived by her husband Christopher Green of Charlestown, Massachusetts; her "Irish twin" sister, Jennifer O'Loughlin of San Francisco; her nephew Finn O'Loughlin of San Francisco; her father, William A. O'Loughlin of Williamsville, New York; her mother Sandra O'Loughlin-Elggren of Buffalo; and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins from upstate New York.
A memorial will be held sometime after the pandemic. Until then, any prayers would be appreciated as Heather was deeply religious and drew great strength from her Catholic faith.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the New England Wildlife Center or Angell Memorial Animal Hospital. Or feed the birds and squirrels in Boston Common and the Public Garden. Heather would like that.