Alice Daly

Alice Marie O’Hara Daly of Roxbury passed away Sunday, May 30, 2021. She was 83. Not one for mysticism, she seemed to practice numerology: she was the youngest of seven children, who married the youngest of seven children and then had seven children.

Born in Bridgeport, she grew up in Fairfield, when it was still farmland, surrounded by animals and playing with her siblings in the family’s Victory Gardens as her Irish grandfather’s fiddling drifted from the front porch. 

She began her career at GE until she and her sister Peggy caught a ride on the QE2 to Europe, bought a Deux Chevaux upon arrival, and set out on adventures that would take them from Monte Carlo to the Vatican. It was the time of her life. 

She first crossed paths with her future husband Dermot at St. Anthony’s School in Fairfield, but she would cross the globe a few times over before realizing that the boy just down the street was the one. They began their life together living in Manhattan. As their family grew they sought the refuge of the countryside and returned to Fairfield. 

In time, Alice returned to work, launching a career as a caregiver. She and her sister Mary founded Professional Caregivers, a business named by their brother Tom and managed by their brother Jim, who served as dispatch. Together they cared for a host of colorful people including judges and writers, dancers and eccentrics, from the Joneses to the Vanderbilts. Alice never claimed to have a favorite, but author Peter DeVries was certainly a front runner.

After the death of her husband in 2001, she retired to Roxbury, a community she loved. In the summer of 2018 she lost two of her sons weeks apart in motor vehicle accidents. Despite the enormity of those losses, she retained her faith, bravely guiding her family through their devastating heartbreak. She was a woman of extraordinary strength and kindness. 

During the last year of her life, her beloved niece Maryann Douglas came to live with her. Having Maryann in the house brought joy and solace to Alice during her last chapter.

Alice and her family have immense gratitude for Heidi Sabia and Darrah Marcinko, two wonderful women who were key to her care, health and wellbeing.

Alice is survived by her sister Peggy O’Hara and her niece Maryann Douglas, her son Paul (wife Maggie) and daughters Alice and Keelin Daly, Brigid Farmer (husband Jimmy) and Mary Daly. Being a grandmother might have been her greatest joy, she leaves her grandsons Daniel and Luke Daly and Jimmy Farmer and her only granddaughter Alice Farmer. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband Dermot and sons Brendan and Dermot and her sister Mary and brothers Francis, James, John and Thomas.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Alice’s honor to Little Britches Therapeutic Riding Program, where her niece Maryann is a rider. Little Britches was founded 41 years ago and has grown into a deeply nurturing program with the help of Alice’s sister-in-law, Stuart Daly, and her daughter Alice. It is a place where hundreds of people with disabilities partner with horses in Alice’s beloved Roxbury. https://www.littlebritchesct.org/

There will be a service celebrating Alice’s life at St. Patrick’s Church in Roxbury on June 4, 2021 at noon. For directions, please enter 24 Church Street into the GPS.

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