Keohane Funeral Home

Elizabeth A. “Betty” (Byrnes) Donlan, of Canton, formerly of Port Charlotte, Florida, and Quincy, died peacefully on Friday, September 24, 2021, at the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. She was 90.

Born in Framingham, on July 11, 1931, she was the daughter of the late William and Beatrice (Phipps) Byrnes. Betty attended local schools and graduated high school with the Class of 1949. She continued her education and earned her associate degree from Boston University, which afforded her a career in the medical field as a medical transcriptionist. Betty worked for both the Milton and Carney Hospital for 30 years. She retired in 1992.

In her spare time, Betty enjoyed playing Bingo with her friends from the senior center, doing crossword puzzles, sudoku, and watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. A snowbird, Betty would spend her winters in Florida. Betty loved to travel and learn about other cultures. Some of her favorite trips were to Ireland, cruising on the Mississippi River and to Alaska with her late husband. One of her favorite places to visit was Maine where she often summered. A simple person, Betty was reserved, independent, hardworking, and resilient. She loved having a cup of clam chowder paired with a lobster roll while sitting on the porch in Maine, and that made her a happy person.

Betty was the beloved wife of the late John P. Donlan, Sr., who died in 2012. The two shared many loving years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Mary Donlan and her partner Phillipe Hammou of Paris, France, Marjorie Ray and her husband Alan of FL, Eileen Vidrine and her husband Kent of VA, Emilie Donlan and her husband Melvin Acevedo of Waltham, and John Donlan, Jr. and his wife Cyrille of Canton. Betty was the loving grandmother of Noelle and her husband Joe Tuss of NJ, AJ Ray of PA, Kate Vidrine of TX, Matthew Vidrine of VA, and the late William Acevedo. She was preceded in death by her brother, William Byrnes. Betty is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Thursday, September 30, 2021, 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 AM on Friday, October 1, 2021, prior to the Funeral Mass at Divine Mercy Parish in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy at 10 AM. Services conclude with interment in Milton Cemetery, Milton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent in Betty’s name to Canton Council-On-Aging, 500 Pleasant St., P.O. Box 54, Canton, MA 02021.