NATICK: Anne E. (Kelley) MacLean, age 94, a longtime former Natick resident, died on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at the Ridgewood Center in Bedford, New Hampshire, her home for the past two years. She had been the devoted wife of the late Donald S. MacLean for 42 years.
Born in Newton, she was a middle child of ten born to the late Nicholas and Katherine (Griffin) Kelley. After being graduated from Our Lady Help of Christians School, Anne was employed as a nurse’s aide. She and Don married in 1942, and he was soon off to war. Anne threw herself fully into the war effort, welding during the day and in the evenings packing parachutes and sewing shoes.
The MacLeans eventually settled in Natick and Anne enjoyed creating a warm and beautifully maintained home. She worked in the Dining Room at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, quickly becoming head of the department. Several years on, she became employed in the same capacity with Wellesley College. Not only was she the Dining Hall Supervisor, but well into her 70s Anne could be found cleaning the college’s daycare center.
Anne moved to Sherwood Village in 1992. She enjoyed travel and found it easy to make new “friends” while on her various jaunts. Her home remained immaculate and she was the first to volunteer to help while visiting the homes of others. Anne was very close to her daughter, an involved grandmother and a proud great–grandmother.
A dedicated patron of Natick’s Morse Institute Library, Anne invariably checked out eight or more books every two weeks for years. It remains a marvel to her family that she found time to read at all.
Predeceased by Don in 1985, and their great-grandson, Nicholas, in 2001, she is survived by their daughter, Donna Cremins and her husband Paul of Manchester, NH; four grandchildren, Michael S. Cremins and his wife Angela of Suffield, CT, Jennifer E. Lavalee of Manchester, NH, Scott M. Cremins and his wife Erin of Wethersfield, CT, and Katherine M. Cremins and Michael Merrill of Manchester, NH; nine great-grandchildren, Chelsea, Aidan, John, Alex, Charly, Emery, Addison, Jack, and Michael; a sister, Terese Reddam of NH; brother Nicholas Kelley and his wife
Anne of AZ; and many nieces, nephews, and their families.
Her funeral will be from the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, on Monday, June 13th at 9:00AM with a Mass of Christian Burial in Saint Patrick’s Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick, at 10:00AM. Burial will follow in Saint Patrick Cemetery.
Visiting hours will be on Sunday, 2 - 5 PM. Donations may be made in Anne’s memory to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis TN 31805.