Mary Jane (Doherty) O'Malley

Mrs. Mary Jane (Doherty) O’Malley, of Waltham, formerly of South Yarmouth, passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Mass General Hospital in Salem. She was 75. 

Born on September 27, 1950, to the late William and Ruth (Murphy) Doherty, Mary Jane grew up in Waltham and graduated from Waltham High School. She spent much of her career as an administrative assistant in medical offices at Waltham Hospital and later worked for the Department of Children and Families in Hyannis. 

Mary Jane was the beloved wife of the late John J. “Jack” O’Malley, who passed away in 2022. Together, they found joy in simple things: time on the Cape, autumn foliage drives through New Hampshire and the Berkshires, and Irish or country music playing wherever they were. Retiring to South Yarmouth was a dream they shared and were grateful to fulfill, and some of their happiest years were spent there with friends and family. Of their shared pastimes, what Mary Jane and Jack loved most was time with family. 

Warm, gentle, and endlessly devoted to her loved ones, Mary Jane was the quintessential Nana. Her house often smelled of homemade apple pies and lasagna and was filled with laughter and stories. She loved her grandchildren more than anything, with her grand-dogs a close second, and she cherished lively get-togethers with her many cousins. 

Faith remained central to Mary Jane’s life. She was a devoted parishioner at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, and her parish remained deeply important to her. Even after moving to Woburn and Ipswich in recent years, she made the drive to Waltham to attend Mass. Following Sunday Mass, Mary Jane could be found in her chair watching football or golf. A lifelong New England Patriots fan, she rarely missed a game, and if Rory McIlroy was playing, you could be sure she was cheering him on, too. 

Mary Jane leaves her children, Michael J. O’Malley and his wife, Courtney, of Waltham, and Kristen O’Malley Zetlan and her husband, Peter, of Ipswich; her cherished grandchildren, Emma and Abigail O’Malley, and Esme, Greta, and Wren Zetlan; and many dear cousins. 

Family and friends will honor and remember Mary Jane’s life by gathering for an Evening Wake at the Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham, on Wednesday, October 29, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and again at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning before leaving in procession to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham, where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Newton Cemetery.