Rita O'Connell Donahue, 85, Formerly of Wayland

Obituary courtesy of The Island Funeral Home

WAYLAND, MA - Rita O'Connell Donahue, age 85, of Hilton Head, SC, passed away peacefully on March 1, 2016.

Rita was born in Boston, MA and graduated from Newton College of the Sacred Heart with a major in mathematics. She had a career at IBM before leaving work to raise her four children, of whom she was extremely proud, while living in Wayland, MA. Rita moved to Hilton Head from New London, NH and continued to be an avid bridge player.

She is survived by her sister Joanne O'Connell Walsh of Timonium, MD, her four children Julie Donahue of Beverly MA, Caroline Donahue of Atherton CA, Jeff (and Lisa) Donahue of Toronto, and Jane Donahue (and Drago Rajkovic) of Hillsborough, CA, and 12 grandchildren. She is pre-deceased by her brother William O'Connell of Saratoga, CA.

Rita will be remembered for her kindness, her quick wit, her sense of humor and her smarts. She was immensely interested in books, people, politics and the world. And she loved nothing more than spending time with her dear friends and her large extended family.

A Celebration of Life for Rita will be held at the Cypress of Hilton Head, on March 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. In lieu of flowers, bring stories and memories of this special friend, mother and grandmother.