Jean A. Desmond

SALEM- Ms. Jean A. Desmond, 90, of Salem, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 12th, 2022, surrounded by her loving family. 

Born in Malden, she was the daughter of the late Patrick and Margaret (Cunningham) Desmond. She was raised and educated in Everett and was a graduate of Everett High School. 

Jean enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a legal secretary for over 35 years at the Boston law firm of Foley, Hoag, & Elliot. Jean was known for her dedication, attention to detail and her expertise in managing a busy law office. Jean loved her job and made many lifelong friends at the firm over the years. 

A loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend, Jean was especially close with her family and loved to dote on her nieces and nephews, with whom she shared a special bond. She loved family gatherings and celebrating all the many milestones and accomplishments of her beloved relatives. She was very proud of her family.  

Jean was ahead of her time in many ways. As a lifelong learner, Jean returned to school later in life, attending Harvard, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts in Extension studies and graduated cum laude. She traveled extensively with friends and family, both domestically and abroad, to Italy, Ireland, France, and Russia. She was a communicant at the Immaculate Conception Church in Salem. She enjoyed tennis and belonged to the Estero Island Yacht & Racquet Club in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, and the Boston Tennis League in Boston. Jean loved attending the Boston Symphony and the Boston Ballet. Jean will be remembered fondly as a trailblazer in her own right. Outgoing, kind, smart and adventurous, she will be deeply missed by her family and the many friends and acquaintances she met throughout her life.  

Jean is survived by her brothers, John Desmond and his wife, Bridget of Lynn, and Robert Desmond and his wife, Shirley of New Hampshire, her sisters-in-law, Barbara Binkelman of Fort Myers, Florida, and Patricia Desmond of Peabody, as well as her many nieces and nephews. Jean is preceded in death by her sister, Mary, her brothers Paul and Francis, and her sister, Margaret Raymond.  

ARRANGEMENTS: Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral Mass, which will be celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Church, Hawthorne Blvd., Salem, on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 10 A.M. Burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Assisting the family with the arrangements is O’Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 84 Washington Sq., (at Salem Common) SALEM. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Jean’s memory to The Perkins Library, C/O Perkins School for the Blind, Attn. Development, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472 to allow others who are visually impaired to enjoy literature. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.  

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