Margaret Ellen (Gorham) McCabe of Dedham, wife of the late Dr. William J. McCabe, passed away peacefully on March 25, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She is survived by her children, William of New York City, Christopher and his wife, Jennifer, of Westwood, Kate O’Halloran, and her husband, Gerry, of Dedham, Timothy and his wife, Meredith, of Walpole, and Courtney of Dedham. She was the beloved grandmother of Luke, Josh, Ryan, Will, Maggie, Patrick, Alex, and Mae. Also survived by her brother John Gorham, of Clinton, NY; sister Mary Beth Benoit and her husband, Larry, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; sister Kathryn Connelly and her husband, Paul, of Scituate; sister-in-law Noreen Gorham of Scarborough, Maine; and many much-loved in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins. She is predeceased by brothers Robert and Paul, and her sister, Joanne.
Born in Portland, Maine, the eldest of seven children of John S. and Helen F. (Honan) Gorham, Margaret graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in Portland in 1962. She went on to earn her associate degree from Katharine Gibbs School in Boston and started her career as an executive secretary at commercial real estate firm, R.M. Bradley in Boston.
It was during this time Margaret met and later married her husband Bill in 1969, going on to raise a wonderful family of five children, in the same Dedham home that was the site of all manner of gatherings—birthdays, First Communions, graduations and most specially, Thanksgiving and Christmas, where Margaret and Bill would effortlessly host the most delightful dinners for 40 or more people, as though it were nothing at all.
Devotion was the essence of Margaret. She was a strong, loving, faith-filled woman whose life was thoroughly centered around her children and grandchildren, present for every game, concert and award ceremony. She loved to have birthday parties for all the kids, even insisting on hosting several at her home over the past few weeks. She was positively unflappable, never too high, never too low, taking in her stride every adversity or blessing thrown her way.
A devout Catholic, she was a constant presence at St. Denis Church in Westwood, attending weekly Masses, volunteering as a member of the Spiritual Development Committee and Eucharistic Minister and counting the collection every other week, often with one or two grandchildren milling about as she did.
Margaret was an early riser, always wanting to make the most of her days that were often filled with morning walks, calls and lunch dates with lifelong friends, minding the kids and running lots of ‘errands’. She enjoyed annual trips to Bermuda and looked forward to heading back to Maine each summer to spend time catching up with everyone.
Most recently, on a once in a lifetime trip in July, Margaret and her 16 children and grandchildren traveled to Ireland, where they spent two weeks exploring—from Dublin, to Belfast, to Galway and Wexford—visiting family and friends and creating lasting memories for all.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty & Sons Wilson-Cannon Funeral Home, 456 High St., Dedham, Friday, March 31 at 9am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Denis Church, Westwood at 10am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours at the funeral home, Thursday, March 30, from 4-8pm. Interment in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Margaret’s name may be made to the League School of Greater Boston at leagueschool.org or the charity of your choice.