Gloria F. (Matthew) Donaghey

LOWELL – Gloria F. Donaghey, 89, a resident of the Christian Hill neighborhood in the Centralville section of Lowell, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House, Danvers, MA, with her loving family by her side. She was the beloved wife of the late Harold E. Donaghey who died on June 6, 1988.
Born in Revere, MA on March 1, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Faris K. and Margaret (Medwar) Matthew. She spent her youth in Revere and graduated from Revere High School. Gloria enjoyed Revere Beach as well as roller skating and ballroom dancing there. In her early years, she worked as a secretary for the Naval Shipyard in Boston where she met her husband, Harold. They were married in 1951 and moved to Lowell to raise their family. She worked as a waitress at the former Brigham's located on Merrimack Street and later at the IRS in Andover. Gloria was a member of the Lowell Senior Center where she enjoyed playing Bingo and line dancing. She also took pleasure in trips to Foxwoods Casino for marathon games with the one-armed bandits. Gloria was a horse racing enthusiast regularly going with her family to Rockingham Race Track and Suffolk Downs. She also enjoyed trips to tracks in New York, Florida and Kentucky with her husband and sons to catch the "big" race. Gloria was an avid Red Sox fan who enjoyed watching baseball games on TV and going to Fenway Park.
Most important to Gloria was devoting herself to her home and family. She leaves three loving children: Elaine Donaghey of Westford, James Donaghey of Framingham and Philip Donaghey and his wife, Mimi, of Methuen; three adoring grandchildren, Meghan (Kelly) Schmidt and her husband, Michael, of Medford, Michael Kelly and his fiancé, Sarah Gosselin of Boston and Colleen Kelly of NY, NY; also several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Faris K. Matthew, Jr. and niece of the late Philip K. Matthew.
Over the last five years, she lived with her son, Jim, in Framingham, MA fighting a slow but steady battle with Alzheimer's Disease and a recurring cancer. The illnesses proved too much despite her determined and courageous efforts to overcome.