Elizabeth Kinsella Jonsson (nee O'Donnell), a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on May 25th at the age of 74. Born November 23, 1950, in New York, NY, she was the daughter of Elizabeth O'Neill and William O'Donnell. She is survived by her husband of fifty-one years, Gregory N. Jonsson; children Heidi Jonsson, Andrew Jonsson, Zachary Jonsson and his partner Kylie LaFantano, and Daphne Jonsson; sons- and daughters-in law, Tim Schneider, Lynnsey Johnson, Stefan Grein, and Lorna Jonsson, and was preceded in death by her son Samuel Jonsson. She was a beloved Gammy to nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild, who were the joys of her life.
Elizabeth grew up in Worcester, MA and began spending her summers in Provincetown at the age of 11, where she fostered a great love for art which would remain throughout her life. After graduating Assumption College in 1973 she started her career as a teacher. She earned her Master's and principal's certification in 1990 and spent thirty years teaching at Diman Regional in Fall River before retiring in 2019.
Elizabeth was the director of Long Point Gallery in Provincetown from 1984-1989, handling the works of thirteen artists, among them her close friend Robert Motherwell, renowned abstract impressionist. She had a keen eye for artwork and worked at the Narrows Art Gallery in Fall River and Four Corners Gallery in Tiverton in the aughts. Elizabeth was an incredible English teacher who truly loved her students. She challenged herself to find new and creative ways to engage those in her classroom; always managing to incorporate art into her lessons. She was Associate Director of the Spotlight program at UMASS Dartmouth for twenty-seven years, often taking the students on trips to art museums in Boston and New York and inviting artists to put on presentations.
After living with their growing family in Pennsylvania, Vermont, Tennessee, DC, and Connecticut, Elizabeth's husband Gregory stumbled upon Westport on his way to P-town one summer, and together they fell in love with the bucolic setting, moving here in 1987 to raise the family. She loved to spend her summer days at Baker's Beach, in her yard tending to her beautiful flower gardens, and having delicious meals al fresco with family and friends. In recent years she discovered a new passion in rowing and could often be found on the river. Growing up in Provincetown she was always sailing, and learning to row a schull rekindled her love for being out in a boat. She joined the Dharma Voyage rowing club in 2016, and cherished her time on the water together with the many friends she made there. Forever impelled to enrich the lives of children, Elizabeth became the director of the Bay Coast Rowing Center in Fall River in 2018, which encouraged inner city students to take part in this favorite activity of hers. In late September 2024, she fulfilled her dream of competing in the Great River Race along the Thames in London. Passing under 28 bridges, the race is a test of endurance for all, and an incredible feat for one with stage four cancer.
Elizabeth loved to travel and had adventures all around the world, but her greatest love was for the Emerald Isle. She found her second home in the south of Ireland, spending her summers there with her husband since 2004. There was no other place that she felt as truly happy and at peace, and they had aspirations of permanently moving there and opening a small gallery in the seaside village in West Cork that they so very much loved.
Elizabeth was blessed with a curious mind and insatiable thirst for knowledge. She was a prolific reader, and loved nothing more than sharing a new book she had found with friends and family. She instilled a deep love for reading in her children and grandchildren, and was a fabulous storyteller to both young and old.
Elizabeth had a zest for life that was contagious and she always showed incredible strength in the face of adversity, spreading positivity to all whom she met even while enduring terrible suffering. She had an amazing ability to strike up conversation with anyone and everyone she came across, often making life-long friends from random encounters. Rarely will one find someone as hard-working and enthusiastic for all she did in life. Elizabeth will be dearly missed by all of us who had the pleasure and great honor of knowing her, and her bright spirit will endure forever in our memories.
Memorial service to which relatives and friends are invited will be Sunday, June 8, 2025 at the Westport United Congregational Church, 500 American Legion Hwy., Westport, MA 02790 at 12:00 P.M. There will be a celebration of life event to follow at 1:00 at 1035 Drift Road.
Interment will be Monday, June 9, 2025 at Beech Grove Cemetery at 11:00 A.M.