Donna M. O’Neill, 63, of Beverly, MA passed away Monday, August 5, 2024.
She was born in Needham, MA on August 26, 1960, to Edward and Marian (Kohr) O’Neill.
Donna was a passionate teacher who dedicated her life to sharing her love of music with her students. For the last 15 years, she was a classroom teacher and choral director for the Manchester Essex Middle High School in Manchester, MA.
At Manchester, she was dedicated to creating a nurturing environment centered on the power of music as a means of communication and emotional expression.
Before Manchester, Donna taught at the Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, the North Shore Music Theatre, the Ottoson Middle School in Arlington, the Brooks School in North Andover, the Wilson School in Mountain Lake, NJ, the Kent Place School in Summit, NJ, Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT, and the Atlantic Friends School in Brigantine, NJ. Donna earned her Master of Arts in Music degree from Rutgers University in Brunswick, NJ.
She is survived by two brothers, Lee O’Neill and his wife Regina of Philadelphia, PA and David O’Neill, his wife Beth, of Stafford Springs, CT, and their four children. Donna also leaves behind her beloved friends, Liz Eichenberger of Gloucester, MA and David Conti of Shrewsbury, MA.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 253 Cabot Street, Beverly, on Saturday, August 24, at 10:00 am. Relatives, friends, and colleagues are invited to attend. Visiting hours at St. Mary’s will precede the mass from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Donna’s memory to the American Cancer Society, Inc., PO Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741 (donate.cancer.org). Arrangements by Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street, Beverly. Condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com.
(Photo and Obituary via Campbell Funeral Home. Editor’s Note: the Funeral Home informs me that O’Neill was a former resident of Southborough.)
