Virginia Anne (McDonough) Bowen

Virginia “Anne” (McDonough) Bowen of Amesbury MA, passed away on February 17, 2024. She was 77.

Anne was born in East Boston on September 15, 1946, to Alfred and Virginia (Doyle) McDonough, the sixth of nine children. 

After graduating from the Fitton School in East Boston, she enrolled in Chandler’s Secretarial School and for several years worked at Boston’s Floating Hospital as a medical records assistant.

For many years Anne was a short-order cook and eventual manager at Mr. Z’s restaurant in East Boston & later at the Elite Donut shop. 

She worked in the housekeeping department at Winthrop Hospital where she would bring the nurses in coffee every morning before they started their shift.  Anne never forgot a face; from her classmates, coworkers, and customers—or anyone she spoke with for just a few moments—she could pick up a conversation where they left off as if it were yesterday.

To spend time with Anne meant your sides would hurt from laughing. The one word that springs to mind when people describe Anne is feisty. She had a wonderful, often quirky sense of humor, and she lit up a room at cookouts and family holiday and birthday parties. If Anne were at a gathering, you knew it was going to be a fun time. People gravitated to her because of her sharp wit and classic one-line zingers – as much to entertain herself as those on the receiving end.

Along with her humor and sharp wit, Anne was selfless beyond words. Whenever and wherever there was a need, without a moment’s hesitation, she would spend hours, days, even months taking care of sick family and friends.  She moved in with her niece Pattianne Caponigro to help raise her three young sons and built a special bond as Aunt to her three great nephews.  As to so many, Anne was Pattianne’s rock and right hand.

Anne had many interests about which her friends and family were well aware: for Christmas and birthday presents she’d receive puzzles and books of crosswords, ceramic and stuffed frogs to add to her very large collection and scratch tickets.   She loved to play scrabble, dance to the oldies, play the daily Numbers game and scratch her lottery tickets.  She had a beautiful backyard garden where she tended to her hostas, colorful perennial flowers, and vegetables. Along with puzzles, cards and frogs, her favorite pastime was cleaning, which earned her the name Windex Anne. 

Above all of her hobbies and interests, the joy of her life was being Nannie to her three granddaughters Grace, Poppy and Ruby, and her late grandson John Charles. She enjoyed nothing more than being their Nannie Annie, playing on swings and seesaws, coloring, doing puzzles and flying kites.

Anne is survived by her children Kimberlee, Jonathan and his partner Kate, and Jeffrey; she was predeceased by her former husband and lifelong friend John Bowen.  Along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins, she leaves behind her brother Walter; her sister Jayne and husband Frank McCarthy; sister-in-law Patricia McDonough; and brother-in-law John Cannata. She was preceded in death by her brothers James and his wife Georgia; Ronald and his wife Lois; her sister Judy and husband George Menz; brothers Ralph and Roy; sister Joanne Cannata; and her precious grandson, John Charles.  Along with her grandchildren, Anne will be sorely missed by her great-niece Ginny and great-nephews Nick, Alex,  Greg and Joseph.

Visitation and a celebration of Anne’s life will be held on Saturday March 2, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Ruggiero Family Memorial Home Northshore Chapel, 10 Chestnut Street, Peabody, MA. 

In lieu of flowers, Anne kindly asked to consider donating to Shiners Children. Click here to donate  

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