Thomas Donnelly, 83: Dedicated 50 years to Manchester North Little League; beloved husband, father, grandfather

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday May 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church 207 Hemlock St. Manchester, NH.

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MANCHESTER, NH – Thomas E. Donnelly was born on May 18, 1934 in Cambridge Massachusetts, to Thomas and Madeline (Perry) Donnelly, and passed away on May 19th, 2017 in Manchester, surrounded by his wife and loving family. He graduated from Revere High School in Revere Massachusetts, and attended Boston University and Bentley School of Accounting, now known as Bentley University.

Tom served in the United State Marine Corps Air Service from 1952 to 1956 and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant. He met the love of his life, Elizabeth (Corbett ) Donnelly in 1956. They married in 1960 and went on to raise six children together.

 
download 1He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Donnelly, and his sons Thomas E. Donnelly IV and his spouse Andy Martin of Bedford; Brian K Donnelly of Manchester; Michael P. Donnelly and his wife Janine of Albuquerque, NM; his daughters, Cathleen E. Cantor and her husband Geoffrey of Ramsey, NJ; Lauren Clause of West Lebanon; and Megan E. Morris and her husband George, of East Montpelier, VT; and his 10 amazing grandchildren, who he was so incredibly proud of, and who meant the absolute world to him, Ben and Talia Cantor, Maxim and Alexa (Donnelly) Hyssong and her husband Trevor, Amelia Clause, Moira and Evan Donnelly, Nathaniel, Jackson and Luke Morris, they truly had his heart.
 

He is also survived by his sisters Madeline (Cris) Roberts and her husband Joseph of Jacksonville, FL, Caroline Edwards and her husband Joseph of Haverhill, MA; nieces and nephews, Rick Lovell, Beth and Kevin Capotto, Kevin Hayes, Colleen Hayes, Eric Hayes, Steven Hayes, Laura Donnelly, Ken and Lisa Ivey, and Kelly and Chris Kilde. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Kenneth Donnelly.

Devoted to his faith, Tom served as an usher for over 30 years at Saint Catherine’s of Sienna Church in Manchester.

The majority of Tom’s career was spent working as a Property Administrator at M.I.T. in Cambridge Massachusetts. He retired in 1996, at which time he devoted his full attention to one of his greatest joys, Manchester North Little League Baseball, where he served as President for 36 of his 50 years with the organization. In 2004 he was honored with the naming of the “Thomas E. Donnelly Complex,” home of Manchester North Little League Baseball and the North Little League Leadership Award for outstanding service and devotion to the youth of North Manchester. Over the course of his 50 years of involvement with Little League, Tom was very involved in the development of the Challenger Division, which offers children with special needs the opportunity to play and enjoy Little League baseball. For several years he was also involved with the Jimmy Fund and was instrumental in raising over $75,000 in donations which went to support Cancer research in children. To quote longtime friend of Manchester North Little League, Shelia Roy, “Generations of children have passed through the fields. With Tom’s guidance they have learned about commitment, friendship, teamwork, and sportsmanship. His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who have ever come to Manchester North Little League.”

There are no calling hours. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday May 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church 207 Hemlock St. Manchester, NH. Burial with military honors will follow at the NH State Veterans Cemetery, Boscawen, NH at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Tom and his family ask that you consider either of the following: Donations made on behalf of Thomas Donnelly for local youth endeavors to “MNLL” 46 W. Webster Street, Manchester NH, 03104, or, Gifts may be made to the Jimmy Fund / Dana Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Thomas Donnelly, to support Cancer research and patient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston MA 02284, or via www.jimmyfund.org/gift.

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