Shirley Donovan Blatchford

EASTHAM - Shirley Donovan Blatchford, 80, longtime resident of Eastham, died peacefully on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007, at Eagle Pond in Dennis.

She was the wife of John William Blatchford, who died in 1982.

Born in Holyoke and raised in South Hadley, Shirley was the daughter of Mary Ellen (Neary) and Jeremiah Donovan.

After her parents died at an early age, she was raised by her sister, Rose (Donovan) Gaunt, and later lived with Elizabeth and Howard Keyes.

She attended public schools in South Hadley and graduated from Holyoke Hospital School of Nursing.

In 1952, she joined the Army and was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Nursing Core.

Shirley served in Texas, Munich, Germany, and Boston.

After marrying in 1956, she settled in Eastham.

Shirley worked at Cape Cod Hospital, did private duty nursing, and retired as a staff nurse from Orleans Convalescent Center.

Shirley loved long walks, reading, crossword puzzles, and birds.

In her youth, she was very active and loved sports: basketball, baseball, and skiing.

She also volunteered for a number of years at the Audubon Society in Wellfleet.

She is survived by daughters: Mary Ellen Walker of Westford, Vt., Elise Twyman of Collierville, Tenn., and Nancy Smith of Hollis, N.H.; grandchildren: Erin and Kara Walker and Jack and Kelsey Smith; her brother Frank Donovan of Springfield; many nieces and nephews; and by special neighbors John and Lisa Palmer.

Visitation will be held at Nickerson Funeral Home, 77 Eldredge Park Way in Orleans on Wednesday, Sept. 5, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A funeral Mass will be held at Saint Joan of Arc Parish in Orleans on Thursday at 10 a.m.

Burial will follow after the Mass at Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Shirley's memory to the Eastham Rescue Squad, Eastham, MA 02642 or to The Eastham Council on Aging, 1405 Nauset Road, North Eastham, MA 02651.