Elaine Marie Mcgrail

Elaine Marie McGrail of Quincy, formerly of Brighton and Hyde Park, passed away on Monday, November 28, 2022.  She was 83.

She was born in Boston to Katherine Marie (Kenney) and John William Elliott, Sr. and was raised in Brighton and Hyde Park. After graduating high school, she held several jobs, married, and raised three children.  In her forties, she went back to school and earned her associates degree at Quincy Junior College in early education. She also took classes at Wheelock College, UMASS Boston, and Boston State Teachers college.

Elaine never stopped learning and became a wealth of knowledge through self -education. She was extremely independent and self-sufficient. She was small in stature but large in accomplishment.  Her strong will and clever mind always brought her solutions to any problem she couldn’t solve with physical strength alone.

One of Elaine’s greatest joys in life was gardening. Her passion for gardening began at an early age and grew deeper throughout her life. She was a member of the Wollaston Garden Club for many years and thoroughly enjoyed working with them on projects throughout the city of Quincy. In earlier years she created a 4H program where she would pass on her vast knowledge and love of horticulture. Through this program she created a community vegetable garden where she inspired the neighborhood children to learn about gardening.

Elaine’s generosity was not limited to the gift of knowledge, she gave a lot of her time to her community as well through involvement in many local programs and activities such as Head Start early childhood education, Quincy Community Action, Germantown Historical Society, Germantown Neighborhood Center, Gull Point Yacht club, Saint Boniface Church and many more.  Her involvement in her local community was strong.

Her legacy is not limited to her community service and gardens.  She leaves a family that she loved dearly and truly enjoyed being around.  In her spare time, she enjoyed family vacations, spending time with her children and grandchildren and connecting with old friends.

Wife of the late Charles McGrail, Sr. Devoted mother of Amy K. Nazzaro and her husband Stephen of Braintree, Susan A. Jason and her partner Brett Bongarzone of Scituate and Charles F. McGrail, Jr. and his wife Jennifer of Quincy.  Loving sister of Jeanne Fogerty of Windham, NH also survived by Warren Elliott and his wife Karen of Abington.  Cherished grandmother of Andrew Nazzaro, Brian Nazzaro, James Nazzaro, Charlie McGrail, Collin McGrail and Caroline McGrail.

Predeceased by her siblings: Alberta Nickerson and John William Elliott, Jr. and her parents: Katherine Marie (Kenney) and John William Elliott, Sr.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited greet the family during the visiting hours on Tuesday, December 6, from 4-8 PM in the Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., QUINCY. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home at 9:15 AM on Wednesday, December 7, prior to the Funeral Mass in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy at 10 AM. Burial in Pine Hill Cemetery, Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Elaine’s name to the Wollaston Garden Club, PO Box 147, Quincy, MA, 02170(Attention: Jan Clifford).  Donations will continue Elaine’s legacy by funding further horticultural education through local scholarship.