Anne M. Connolly (Dingee) of Canton, a loving mother, dedicated and doting grandmother and life-long friend to many, died suddenly Sunday, November 27, 2011. She was 71.
Born to the late Cecil B. Dingee and Mary (Prendergast) Dingee and raised in the Ashmont neighborhood of Dorchester with her late sister Marylou Dingee, Mrs. Connolly was a graduate of St. Gregory’s School in Dorchester, from grade school through high school. During her childhood, she developed many close friendships that lasted a lifetime, as Mrs. Connolly and her girlhood friends gathered bi-monthly for what they called, “Club.”
Mrs. Connolly worked for many years as an executive assistant for the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in the departments of Cardiology and Radiology, having worked at the Brockton, Jamaica Plain and most recently West Roxbury campuses. She had also worked at Quincy Hospital, the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton and the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center in Braintree. She had planned to retire in April 2012 from the VAMC in West Roxbury, where she was the executive assistant to the chairman of Radiology.
Mrs. Connolly enjoyed a life filled with family and friends. She had a caring and generous spirit and easily made lasting friendships that transcended generations. She loved Cape Cod and enjoyed reading, attending movies, following politics, walking and spending time with her family, including four grandsons, and her many friends. She cherished the holidays and last week hosted Thanksgiving dinner with family and an evening with “Club” the week before.
In addition to her sister and parents, Mrs. Connolly is predeceased by her husband, Francis B., who lived many years in Florida, and her son James J., who died in 1984. She is survived by four sons, Michael F. Connolly and his wife, Monica, of Milton; John E. Connolly of New York City; Robert M. Connolly and his wife, Moira, of Milton; and David M. Connolly and his wife, Jean Serra, of Milton; and four grandsons, James, 10; Martin, 9, Robert Jr., 7, and Walter, 4, all of Milton.
Visiting hours Friday December 2, 2011 from 4-8 PM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday at 10:30 in St. John the Evangelist Church 700 Washington St. Canton. Interment St. Mary's cemetery, Canton.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, 11 Beacon St., Suite 820, Boston, MA 02108 or Nativity Preparatory School, 39 Lamartine St., Jamaica Plain, 02130.