1935 - 2024
No Vistitation Date Scheduled
Funeral
May 28, 202410:00 A.M.
Catherine Church at 107 North Main Street in Westford
Patricia A. McDonald, 89, of Westford and formerly of Wilmington, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on May 23, following a long illness.
Funeral services are arranged by Dolan Funeral Home in Chelmsford and will be held at St. Catherine Church at 107 North Main Street in Westford on May 28, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. A private burial ceremony with family will be held at a later date.
Pat was born on February 19, 1935 in Arlington, Massachusetts to John and Gladys (Smith) Cox. She attended Arlington High School, where she was noted for her acting abilities and was an active member of Arlington Junior Women’s Club. After graduation Pat worked at Dewey and Almy Chemical Company in Cambridge, where in 1955 she began planning her first trip to Europe, beginning with her grandmother’s relations in Ireland.
Along with cousins Mary and Anne Cullen, Pat sailed on the Mauretania to Ireland in 1957, beginning a life-long love affair with the country that saw her return more than 30 times over the next 65 years. Pat wrote a memoir of her 1957 trip, THE THREE GRACES ABROAD, detailing her tour across Ireland, France, Monaco, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and England.
Pat’s passion for all things Irish led her to study Gaelic at the Harvard Extension School, learn the Irish accordion and teach herself to knit Aran sweaters with their intricate cable patterns. Through her accordion teacher Pat met her future husband John P. McDonald, an Irish folk singer and band leader from Ireland, and they married in 1967. With their daughters Maura and Sheila, they moved from their first home in Arlington to Wilmington, where together they cleared the woods behind their home to build kennels for the racing greyhounds John imported from Ireland and bred.
Famous on both sides of the Atlantic for her sense of humor and adventure, Pat enjoyed travel, dogs, Irish music and making people laugh. She is survived by her daughter Maura P. Hughes of Westford, CEO of Boston MedFlight; daughter Sheila M. Averbuch of Pencaitland, Scotland, children’s author; grandchildren Brendan and Ryan Hughes and Ben and Sally Averbuch; sons-in-law Scott Hughes and Ralph Averbuch; nieces Priscilla and Barbara Croak, Jackie (Croak) Ciriello, Sandra Croak-Brossman, niece Pamela Adamian and family, and beloved cousins and friends in Ireland and the US.
Instead of flowers, anyone wishing to honor Pat’s memory is invited to make a donation to Boston MedFlight, to support its life-saving work at www.bostonmedflight.org/donate
Ralph Averbuch
| #
I first met Pat way back in 2000. She was a dry wit from the start and always managed to make me laugh at her acerbic remarks and pithy one-line observations. She will be very much missed by her Scottish family.
Carol Snow
| #
I met Patricia when she came over to visit her daughter Sheila in Scotland. I saw her most times she came to visit over many years and I always enjoyed her chat. May she rest in peace. My sincere condolences to her family.
Dianne Bryant
| #
Maura & family: I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for allowing me to take care of your mother. She was so full of spunk! I enjoyed many conversations with her about her travels and how much she loved her daughters. She will truly be missed!
Greg Bielski
| #
Dear Maura, I was very sorry to learn of the passing of your mother. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Greg
denise cox
| #
I am so sorry for your loss, and thank you so much for sharing so much about Pat – I loved the stories and the photos, What a beautiful ceremony of remembrance…. thank you for sharing it here, so I could attend.
Layla Anne Nouilati
| #
“She won at life.” -Shiela, you said it rightly so. She took care of me since I was 2 years old. Her home was one of my safest memories I have. He humor and kindness is with me every day. I will pass this love, safeness and humor to my own daughter. Thank you aunty Pat for everything. Rest well. Slainte
Layla Anne Nouilati
| #
“She won at life.” -Shiela, you said it rightly so. She took care of me since I was 2 years old. Her home is one of my safest memories I have. Her humor and kindness is with me every day. I will pass this love, safeness and humor to my own daughter. Thank you aunty Pat for everything. Rest well. Slainte *
(edited, my apologies)
Layla
| #
Sheila *
Patricia Mcmullin
| #
Dear Maura, Sheila, and family,
Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the passing of your beloved Mother. My Mom and I loved learning about her wonderful life and adventures, reflected so beautifully in you. Please know that you and the many friends and family whose lives she touched so deeply will remain in our prayers and thoughts. We will light a candle in her memory, raise a glass, and sing a song on our next visit to Ireland. With much love.
jayne sheehan
| #
Dearest Maura,
So very sorry for the loss of your Mom…I loved reading about her and her love for Ireland and the joy in her life! She lived life fully and the stories you shared here tell it beautifully…..she clearly impacted many lives in such loving ways….. Please know you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time of life….with deepest sympathy, jayne.
Mina Thabet
| #
Maura, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your mother. May you all find comfort in the memories you shared with her and the love she bestowed upon you.