PHELAN, Ann M. (Feeney) of West Roxbury and North Falmouth, passed away on May 30, 2024, peacefully surrounded by her loving family after a brief but valiant battle with cancer. Ann was the beloved wife of the late James E. Phelan, Jr., and devoted mother of Patricia A. Gillis and her husband Stephen of Cohasset; J. Edward Phelan of West Roxbury; Linda Phelan Dyson of NJ; and Julie Phelan Brady and her husband Bill of Medford. Dear sister of the late Stephen and William Feeney, Ann was the proud and loving grandmother of Ryan, Timothy, John, Caroline, Michael Jr., Brenna, Garrett, MaryKate and Liam. Ann was a very strong and independent woman and passed these traits on to all her children. She was a registered nurse for 32 years, working with brain injury patients, specializing in wound care at the Greenery Rehabilitation Center. She loved her career. As a proud graduate of St. Elizabeth’s Nursing School, she was very active writing the newsletter, planning annual alumni events, and authored articles published in leading peer reviewed nursing journals. She was a Holy Name CCD teacher for many years and met her husband Ed at a Holy Name dance in 1959. Always on the go, after her husband passed in 2001 she became a devoted Bikram yoga student for more than 15 years - until well into her seventies. She always loved walking each of her grandchildren in a baby carriage for hours, believing nothing beat the benefits of fresh air for an afternoon nap. She loved Cape Cod, enjoying our family home in North Falmouth since 1959. As our dad would do his nightly swim she would walk the beach, collecting seashells and sea glass. It was her ritual to take her grandchildren for dinner, sitting in the train caboose car attached to the New Silver Lounge restaurant. She loved the Flying Bridge restaurant and the piano bar at the Chart Room. For many decades she and our dad, and then since his passing with the rest of us, had standing reservations every Saturday evening throughout the summer at the Chart Room. She loved fashion, bright colors, and retail therapy trips to Talbots. If she liked something, she often bought it in every color. She enjoyed mother’s mental health days, girls’ trips, Broadway shows, eating lobster at the Boston Harbor Yacht Club, and long walks around Castle Island. A lover of tradition, you would find her at the 4 o’clock mass, then watching the 5 o’clock news, and never missed watching Chronicle and 60 minutes, seeing the Boston Pops at Christmas, time spent with decades-long friends and tailgating at BC football games. Ann and Eddie were such avid BC football fans everyone had to schedule their weddings around the BC game schedule. She loved to travel extensively with her husband: Alaska, Italy, Florida, Ireland, France, California, Boothbay and Bar Harbor, Nova Scotia, Banff to name a few. She enjoyed Sunday dinners, loving finer restaurants, great food, and wine. Ann and Ed loved to entertain, hosting dinner parties and Superbowl parties, with Ed’s delicious cooking. She was an avid reader, a bridge player, and relished a good card game. Anyone who knew Ann at all knew how incredibly proud she was of her children, and of her grandchildren. She was strict, with the unflappable pragmatism that comes with growing up in the Depression and being a mother. Most of us had nearly perfect attendance, not missing school unless there was six feet between one of our limbs and our body. She was, of course, completely different with her grandchildren, and her children were fortunate to see her softer side in these later years. In keeping with our mom’s persona, when she was diagnosed with cancer last December there was never a single moment of doubt that of course she would beat it. We had the privilege of caring for her at home in the final five weeks spent on hospice, where we had a lot of laughs, and very special moments. She is also survived by many loving extended family members and lifelong friends.
Visiting Hours to be held at the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre St., WEST ROXBURY, on Thursday, June 6th from 9:30am to 11:00am, followed by an 11:30am Funeral Mass in Holy Name Church, 1689 Centre St, West Roxbury. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Interment at Holyhood Cemetery, Brookline. We would especially like to thank the Beth Israel, Needham, and her loving nurse, Roseli Ferri, from Good Shepard Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ann may be made to Rosie’s Place, P.O. Box 51399, Boston, MA 02205-1399 or https://www.rosiesplace.org.