Margaret Theresa Donnelly

WELLS – Margaret Theresa Donnelly, 84, of Wells, passed away on Jan. 25, 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Margaret was born to Mary and Joseph Donnelly in London, England, on May 2, 1935. She was one of nine children: Joseph, Mary, George, Josie, Patsy, Kathleen, Eileen, and Michael. She was raised in London during World War II, moving to the United States at 19 years old in order to work as a nanny.

She married Bob Drozek in 1960, and was a loving mother to Joseph Drozek, Maria “Zoie” Pacheco, John Peter Drozek, Michele Drozek, and Margaret Greulich. Margaret and Bob divorced in 1976. Never willing to give up on someone she loved, Margaret married Bob a second time just one year later, before divorcing once and for all in 1980. She was a devoted grandmother, helping to raise her grandson Bobby Drozek and spending her final years in the Boston area, where she cherished spending time with his wife Rose and her great-grandchildren Margaret and Kipling.

Margaret devoted most of her life to helping people in need. In her 40s, she started undergraduate studies at New Hampshire College, graduating at 48 years old with a bachelor’s degree in human services. She became a licensed substance abuse counselor and worked on the detox at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. For over 15 years, Margaret provided in-home therapy to clients with severe mental illness at Counseling Services Inc. Margaret was also a Reiki practitioner, working with her good friend Roberta Wentworth in the complementary services program there.

Margaret was a kind and gentle soul—humble, compassionate, easy to laugh, and never seeking the spotlight for herself. She enjoyed walking barefoot on the beach, visiting thrift stores, drinking tea, watching English television shows on PBS, baking apple pies, listening to music, buying too many books, attending Catholic mass, and spending time with her friends and family.

She is survived by her siblings Kathleen, Eileen, and Michael; her five children; her beloved grandchildren Bobby Drozek, Lynnlee Drozek, Shea Killoran Drozek, Elizabeth Mitchell, Zachariah Pacheco, and Christine Singer; and her great-grandchildren Kipling Drozek, Margaret Drozek, and Shane Alan Mitchell. She was predeceased by her siblings Joseph, Mary, George, Josie, and Patsy; by her son-in-law John Parent; and by her grandson John Mark Singer.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, Holy Family Church, 66 North Ave. in Sanford at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. Burial will be in the spring at Oakdale Cemetery in Sanford.

Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale. Condolences can be expressed at www.blackfuneralhomes.com.

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