A loving mother who lived life with grace and humility
MELROSE — Anne C. Lenehan (Sullivan), of Melrose, formerly of Malden, died at home surrounded by family on July 29, 2022 at the age of 91. She was born on July 15, 1931 in Malden to the late Daniel and Nora Sullivan. Anne was raised in Malden, where she graduated top of her class at the Cheverus School. She met Bob Lenehan, also of Malden, and they were married at Sacred Hearts Church.
Anne worked at the Coke Company and Faulkner Manufacturing, both in Malden prior to having her family.
Anne and Bob went on to have six children together, and the job of “Mom” was where she placed her time, energy and love. All would agree she was the best Mom around. They had a wonderful life together in Malden and spent summers as a family on Cape Cod, making more memories than one could ever count.
Throughout her life, she seemed to make lifelong friends wherever she went. Some of her very closest friends were made through the Immaculate Conception Mother’s Club. Later going on to call themselves the “910 Club”, these “Club” friends shared over 40 years of friendship, getting together every week. Anne and Bob shared years of great times at the Irish American Club, where they would get together with friends, laughing and singing along to their favorite Irish music.
Once her own children were of school age, she went back to work for many years at the Malden Public Schools and made some wonderful lifelong friends there as well. She even worked together with Bob for two years at the Lincoln School.
Life proved to get even better upon the arrival of their 15 grandchildren over the years. Nothing made her happier than seeing one of their smiling faces walk through the door. She was known to all as “Gram” as she attended more games, recitals, concerts and graduations than you could count.
Anne was a faithful woman; with a faith so strong it carried her through all of life’s good times and more challenging ones. After losing her husband, Bob, at the young age of 69, she went on to create a beautiful life for herself and continued to be the shining example of a life filled with faith for her children and grandchildren.
As a woman of many talents, Anne would spend her time between the sewing machine (where although it was just for pleasure, her work was nothing shy of professional … no excuse for “shoddy workmanship” in her opinion). Everyone in the family reaped the benefits of her knitting abilities. She was an avid reader and read the Boston Globe every day, as well as doing the crossword puzzle, although she had recently become a fan of the daily Wordle puzzle online. She was always ready to try something new or learn something new; Bob would be proud to know that Anne went on to become quite adept on the computer as both Solitaire expert and online banker! A jigsaw puzzle was always on her table just waiting to be finished. And if you were lucky enough to come by on a Saturday morning, you were about to get a taste of unquestionably the best Irish bread you’ve ever tasted. A nice glass of Chardonnay with cheese and crackers with the 5 p.m. news each night was one of the simple things that she enjoyed thoroughly.
A true example of how to live life with grace, humility and true appreciation for the simplest of life’s pleasures, she will be missed immensely by all who loved her.
Beloved wife of the late Robert Lenehan. Loving mother of Robert Lenehan and his wife, Susan, of Whitman; Daniel Lenehan and his wife, Jeannine, of Vineyard Haven; John Lenehan and his wife, Karen, of Melrose; Edward Lenehan and his wife, Karen, of Shrewsbury; Mary Doucette and her husband, John, of Melrose and Margaret Hagopian and her husband, Antranig, of Wakefield. Proud grandmother of Mark, Elisabeth, Julianne, Sean, Kelly, Patrick, Brian, Thomas, Kristin, Nicole, Michael, Courtney, Joseph, Nora and Robbie. Also survived by great-granddaughter, Mia. Sister of Rita Sullivan and Kathleen Gardner. Predeceased by her sister, Mary Sullivan; brother, Gerald Sullivan and his wife Mary; brother James Sullivan and his wife Arlene and brother-in-law Robert Gardner. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, relatives and dear friends.
Visiting hours was held on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 from 9 – 11 a.m. at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster St., Melrose. A funeral Mass was held at 11:30 a.m. following the visitation at St. Mary’s Church, 4 Herbert Street, Melrose. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Bread of Life, 214 Commercial Street, Suite 209, Malden, MA 02148 breadoflifemalden.org. To leave an online message of condolence please visit gatelyfh.com.
