Natalie Kent McDonough passed away on December 24, 2023, at Sentry Hill Assisted Living and Retirement Community in York, Maine, due to natural causes at the age of 100. She was the beloved wife of the late Thomas J. McDonough, Jr.
Born in Trenton, NJ on August 12, 1923, Natalie was the third daughter of Hazel (Kent) and Gladwyn “Bill” Blackwell.
Shortly after Natalie was born, her family moved to Worcester, Mass., and after high school she attended Colby Sawyer College (then Colby Junior College for Women). She and Tom married in Brookline, N.H. in September 1949 and moved to Oregon and then California where their first four children were born. The McDonough’s returned to Massachusetts in 1959 and settled in Easthampton and had another two children. They were drawn back to be with family and especially to ensure the children could spend time on Cape Cod where they had family property.
Natalie’s professional resume included many years as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Easthampton’s Maple Street School. Over the years she also helped her husband Tom build his company, Bay State Wire, handling billings, invoices and other administrative duties.
Natalie loved family gatherings and hosted Thanksgiving for many years. She was renowned for her baking skills and her desserts drew rave reviews over the years from a large audience of family, neighbors and friends. She was a 40-year member of the Holyoke YMCA and was often seen bicycling around Easthampton well into her 70s. Her summers on Cape Cod featured time with her children at the ocean and ponds of Wellfleet, swimming, hiking, walking, and living her trademark healthy lifestyle. She was also of strong Christian faith, attending the Protestant Church in Easthampton, College Church in Northampton and the Baptist Church of Southampton.
Natalie relocated to Kittery Estates, in Kittery, Maine in January 2012, and became active in a long-standing book group, church and enjoying all the Seacoast had to offer. She had recently moved to Sentry Hill in York for further assistance.
She is survived by her loving children: Linda McDonough of Derby, Vt., Kathleen McDonough and her husband David of Eastham, Mass., Thomas and his wife Catherine of Wellfleet, Mass., Margaret McDonough and her husband Vince of Granby, Co., Martin and his wife Linda of Southampton, Mass., Robert and his wife Diane of Kittery, Maine, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Second Christian Congregational United Church of Christ at 33 Government St, Kittery, Maine on Sunday, January 14 at 2 p.m. To leave online condolences please visit www.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com . In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider donating to the Salvation Army
Care for the McDonough family has been entrusted to the JS Pelkey & Son Funeral Home.
Comments