DANEHY, Patricia M. “Pattie” (McSweeney)
Of Braintree and Needham, passed away peacefully, on April 1, 2024, at the age of 80, after a courageous eight-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Born on September 14, 1943, Pattie grew up in the Oak Square neighborhood of Brighton and cherished her childhood memories in the two-family house on Hunnewell Ave. with her mother, brother and two sisters, as well as her aunt, uncle and four cousins who lived upstairs. From ice skating on Chandler’s Pond and attending Our Lady of Presentation Academy to riding the streetcar to her job as a secretary at the old John Hancock building in Boston, Pattie loved her life, family and friends growing up in Brighton.
While working at the old John Hancock in 1964, Pattie met the love of her life, Kevin Danehy of Weymouth. A first date at Howard Johnson’s on Soldiers Field Road led to a second at Valle’s Steak House in Chestnut Hill; Kevin and Pattie were wed on September 2, 1967. They were married for 56 years, settling in Needham and raising three children there. Their second home in Dennisport was the scene of many cherished memories, including hours spent at Inman Road, Cold Storage Beaches and the annual late August lobster dinner around the table at Depot Street.
A proud and self-professed military wife, Pattie often juggled the work of two parents while Kevin was serving as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. She loved to recount her tales of pushing a grocery cart two miles home in the snow during the Blizzard of 78 or loading the kids in her Toyota Corolla wagon for spontaneous adventures to New Hampshire and Cape Cod.
While her first priority was her children, Pattie was a dedicated writer, poet and photographer. She attended night school for many years, earning her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Boston University in 1987. She taught religious education and was a frequent volunteer and Bible study participant at Saint Joseph Parish in Needham.
Beloved wife of Kevin R. Danehy of Hingham, formerly Weymouth and Needham. Devoted mother of Matthew J. Danehy and his wife, Ulrike Kjellberg of Westford, Jessica Cabral and her husband, Kevin of Braintree and Christopher Danehy and his wife, Rebecca (Sturm) of East Greenwich, RI.
Pattie’s grandchildren were her everything and brought her so much joy, Kevin and Stephen Cabral, Annika Danehy and Patrick and Brendan Danehy.
Pattie also leaves her brother, Raymond McSweeney of Dennisport; her sister, Anne Lamontagne and her husband, Joseph of Cheshire, CT; and her sister, Joan McSweeney and her husband, John Feeney of Scituate. Loving aunt to many cherished nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Visiting Hours on Sunday, April 7, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, in the Cartwright-Venuti Funeral Home, 845 Washington St., BRAINTREE. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, April 8, at 11:00 AM, in St. Francis of Assisi Church, Braintree. A private Burial will follow on Cape Cod.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org
For directions or to leave a sympathy message for the family, visit
www.cartwrightfuneral.com