Andrea M. (Pirani) Cahill, age 65, of Falmouth and Bonita Springs, FL, formerly of Winchester and Hingham, passed away on January 22, 2022. She was the beloved wife for 42 years of Peter A. Cahill. Born in Boston Andrea was the daughter of the late Alvaro B and Marian A. (Ercolini) Pirani. She was raised and educated in Winchester and was a graduate of Winchester High School with the class of 1974. She attended Wheelock College and received her B.S. in education. Andrea taught first grade at Pigeon Cove Elementary School in Rockport for several years, until she was stricken with NF2 (Neurofibromatosis), and, as a result, deafness.
In spite of her health challenges, which spanned 35 years, and 12 brain surgeries, Andrea, who was known for her kindness and selflessness, continued to live a full life, competently raising her toddlers, who were one and three at the time, complete with a wheelchair, a hearing dog and learned sign language skills. She also taught her children sign language.
Post-deafness, she worked at the South Shore Collaborative School, the South Shore Charter School, and eventually Marshfield High School. She also began her own business teaching sign language and co-founded the New England Chapter of ALDA (the Association of Late Deafened Adults).
In her spare time, Andrea traveled the world, and had visited all 50 states. She created beautiful gardens and magnificent mosaics and enjoyed her homes on Cape Cod and in FL, while spending time with her grandchildren and many friends.
In addition to her husband, Peter, Andrea is lovingly survived by her children: Natalie P. Keating and her husband Marc, of Simsbury, CT, Peter A. Cahill and his wife Ali, of Hull. She was the devoted grandmother of George, Harry, Trey and Lou, and the dear sister of John Pirani and his wife Bonnie Gillespie, of Falmouth, Peter Pirani and his wife Rosemary, of Winchester. She also leaves behind a multitude of nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews.
Visiting Hours will be held at the Costello Funeral Home, on Saturday, February 5, from 9AM-10:30AM followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Church, 155 Washington St., Winchester, at 11AM. Masks are required in the funeral home and the church. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend and are invited to join the family at Cafe Escadrille, 26 Cambridge St., Burlington, MA, following the mass.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Andrea’s memory may be made to the Andrea Cahill Foundation for Neurofibromatosis Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, Attn: Sarah Sestito, MGH Development Office 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114. In memo: in memory of Andrea Cahill, or at https://because.massgeneral.corg/andreacahillNF2.