Mary Donovan Gagnon

Waltham – Mrs. Mary J. (Vaughan) (Donovan) Gagnon, of Waltham, died Wednesday, July 24, 2013 at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge. She was 89.

Mary was born in Brighton on March 30, 1924, the eldest of eight children born to Irish natives Michael and Mary (Dunleavy) Vaughan. She was raised in Somerville and married John F. Donovan, Jr. of Dorchester in May of 1948.

The couple lived in Somerville before moving to Waltham in 1955 where they raised their family. After the war and before her children were born Mary worked for a number of years for the New England Telephone Company. She had been a longtime member of Saint Jude Church and was a member of the parish Ladies Sodality.

Widowed in June, 1980 at the age of 56 Mary remained devoted to her children, to parish life and to being the matriarch of her large and close family. Eight years later she married widower Raymond L. Gagnon, also of Waltham, at Saint Jude's and the couple had fifteen happy years together before Ray's death in March, 2004.

Mary leaves her children, John F. Donovan and his wife, Carol, of Braintree, Michael J. Donovan and his wife, Mary Ellen, of Waltham, Paul J. Donovan and his wife, Barbara, of Marlborough, Kathleen M. LeBlanc and her husband, Robert, and Peg Biondo and her husband, Paul, all of Waltham; her stepchildren, Susan McGean and her husband, William, of Waltham, Patricia Ross of Quincy, Veronica Gagnon of Florida and Paul Gagnon and his wife, Cindy, of Acton; her grandchildren, Christopher, Timothy, James, Karen, Thomas, Kevin, Megan, Katelyn, Shannon, Kelly, John, Kimberly, Matthew, Melissa and Nicole; her step-grandchildren, Gregory, Montana, Melissa, Megan, Karisa and Kyle; her great-grandchildren, Camille, Lila, Sadie, Avery, Charles, Joseph and Kelise; her brothers, Thomas Vaughan of Rye, New Hampshire, Joseph Vaughan of Twin Mountain, New Hampshire, Francis Vaughan of Arlington and Lawrence Vaughan of Nashua, New Hampshire and many nieces and nephews.

She was also a sister of the late John Vaughan, George Vaughan and Betty Passinisi.

Family and friends will honor and remember Mary's life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Sunday, July 28th, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. and again at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning before leaving in procession to Saint Jude Church, 147 Main Street, Waltham, where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Waltham.