Ann Donlin Russell

On Friday May 10, 2024, Ann Donlin Russell, loving mother, grandmother and wife of 65 years, passed away at the age of 91.

Ann was born in Oxford, Massachusetts on February 3, 1933 to Henry and Dorothy Donlin. Her father owned Henry’s Diner, a popular Oxford gathering spot, and during her grade school years Ann would open the diner with her dad early each morning before school. There she read the paper and memorized baseball statistics while he worked; patrons would ask her MLB trivia over their coffees and she became considered something of a savant. Ann attended Saint Louis High School in Webster, MA where she met her future husband Francis and graduated in 1951. She continued to Boston University, received a degree in Education in 1955, then became a kindergarten teacher in Hingham public schools. During this time she married Francis and raised a family of five rambunctious boys while continuing her work full-time. Remembered by family for her keen, heron’s eyes and the sharp gritting of her teeth when upset with one of her boys, she was the watchful, diligent and caring backbone of her household. In 1972, Ann earned a second BA from Curry College in Special Education with a focus on reading disabilities. She worked at Curry until the family moved to Cape Cod where she taught special needs at Chatham High School.

A ravenous reader and astute thinker, she was a lifelong Democrat, active in local politics and member of the League of Women Voters. Later in life she and Francis moved to Venice, FL where she had a short second career working for Nielsen Ratings. In Florida, she enjoyed her grandchildren, book clubs, gardening (her favorite flowers were daisies) and her 5PM glass of white wine. She was resilient and adaptable, a world traveler to China, Australia, Europe and the Caribbean, whose life spanned World War 2 through the Covid pandemic. After Francis passed in 2020, she got through the lockdown with the support of Thursday afternoon Zoom calls with the whole family. One summer when her children were young, she fell off a Cape Cod dock in her best clothes in front of many onlookers. Her sons don’t recall any embarrassment, just her pursed lips, the dignity of her drying off.

Ann is survived by her five sons Tim (Plymouth, MA, wife Tobi), Tom (Englewood, FL, wife Karin), Chris (New York, NY, wife Gina), Dan (Chatham, MA, wife Heidi), and Greg (Chicago, IL, wife Abbie). She had ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren with one on the way.

A service will be held this coming autumn in Chatham, MA.