Eleanor C. (Collins) Donovan

SHREWSBURY - Ellie Donovan was a woman of strong faith with a deep devotion to the Little Flower, St. Therese de Lisieux who once said, “The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother”.

Ellie’s life was enriched by her unwavering faith in God and devotion to her church. These were only matched by her deep love and devotion to her beloved husband John and their family.

Always surrounding herself with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and her dear friends Ellie’s life easily aligned with the wonderful virtues of faith, hope and love. It was these three gifts that sustained her throughout her 94 years. She died at home surrounded by love on Saturday, October 19, 2024. 

Born on August 13, 1930, in Marlborough, she was the only child of the late Walter L. and Eleanor J. (Bradshaw) Collins. Raised in Marlborough, Ellie and her parents later moved to Lynn where she graduated from Lynn High School. She then earned her nursing degree from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital School of Nursing and cherished her role as Nursery Supervisor at Marlborough Hospital.

In 1953, Ellie met the love of her life, John H. Donovan, Jr. at a mutual friend’s wedding. They married in Saint Michael's Church in Hudson on June 9, 1956. Married for 62 years, Ellie and John rarely spent a day apart until John’s death on November 7, 2018. 

Ellie loved her role of mother nurturing her seven children. After raising her family, she returned to her natural vocation as a registered nurse, but this time aside her husband, John in his pediatric medical practice on Julio Drive. And there they were, husband and wife, doctor and nurse, best friends working long hours taking care of and tending to countless families in their care. It was a wonderful union they truly enjoyed until their retirement in 1996. 

As a family, they had many memories of vacations together at the Cape and Nantucket, summers by the pool on Bryant Avenue, weekly Sunday dinners and a house always filled with family and friends she adored. 

A lover of all things Irish, she enjoyed the music, a good story and of course a good joke. She accompanied her family to Ireland in 2019 and was thrilled to reconnect with family living there, especially her cousin and pen pal Kitty Morrissey. 

It’s no secret Ellie loved a good horse race especially when she came out a winner. There were many annual pilgrimages to Saratoga with dear friends. Ellie and John always looked forward to their next cruise and travelled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Most recently she enjoyed lunches with her girlfriends Alice and Sara who they coined “Widows without Wheels”. 

Ellie loved a good book, the New England Journal of Medicine, People Magazine and reading the daily newspapers front to back. In her backyard oasis at Westbrook Crossing she enjoyed the quiet comfort and company of the many birds who paid her visits. She kept her mind active with a daily crossword and could still answer any question on Jeopardy. 

A member of Saint Mary’s Church, she served as a Eucharistic minister and served the homebound as well. She had a lifelong devotion to St. Therese de Lisieux whom she prayed to during her daughter, Ellen’s sickness and subsequent passing in 2010. It is a wonderful reunion in heaven with Ellen and her daughter Therese Rose. 

Ellie’s family offers words of gratitude to Salmon Health & Hospice, Marti Page and Mary Traina for their wonderful care of her. 

She leaves her children, John H. Donovan III (Sharon Corazzini), Mary E. Donovan, Daniel W. Donovan (Carol), Anne D. Matthews (Robert), Kathleen E. 'Kate' Cleary (John), and Patricia Donovan Bates; her son-in-law John Samia; her grandchildren, Katherine Lofstrom (Garrett), Elizabeth Fulton (Edward), Matthew Donovan, Ryan Donovan (Gina) and Nikki Donovan, Emily Matthews, Kevin Matthews and Olivia Lennon (Jacob), Meaghan Cleary and Jack Cleary (Deanna), Teresa 'Tess' Bates, Thomas Samia and Catherine Samia; her great-grandchildren, Riley Donovan Matthews and Gavin J. Lofstrom; her niece and nephew Noreen and Michael Donnelly. 

Family and friends will honor and remember Ellie's life by gathering for an evening wake from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23rd in Saint Mary's Church, 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday in the church. Burial will follow in Mountain View Cemetery, Shrewsbury.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to Saint Mary’s Parish, 18 Summer Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 www.stmarysparish.org or Dana Farber | The Jimmy Fund, 450 Brookline Street, Boston, MA 02215 www.dana-farber.org

Arrangements by James + John Heald of The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street, Waltham.