Jean McDonough

1927 - 2021

Jean Trayer McDonough

WORCESTER - Jean Trayer McDonough died at home on the morning of August 22, 2021.

Jean was both pragmatic and chic, thoughtful and to-the-point. She paid attention to details. She appreciated excellence. She loved dogs (cocker spaniels and Shetland sheepdogs), chocolate (dark, very rich), and well-made jackets that never went out of style. She dressed as a witch every Halloween and never broke character when her grandchildren came trick-or-treating. She is perhaps best known in central Massachusetts for decades of generous support for Worcester-area cultural institutions.

Jean was born November 24, 1927 and refused to celebrate her birthday "on Thanksgiving", insisting that her family gather for a birthday dinner separate from the turkey feast. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1949, and married handsome Irish chemist and entrepreneur Myles McDonough in 1952. They settled in central Massachusetts and had two sons.

In 1956, Myles founded an adhesive company in a Spencer garage. Jean always remembered the beginnings of Flexcon because it shares a birthday with their first child, Mark McDonough. Jean and Myles raised Mark and his younger brother, Neil, in Paxton, and grew the company in Spencer. Jean was a Board member and Treasurer of Flexcon Co, Inc starting in 1960. She managed the company investments from 1976 to 2005 as Flexcon expanded from a single manufacturing site in Spencer to an international company. She completed the Smith College Management Program in 1980.

For over five decades Jean served as a volunteer, a board member, and a financial supporter of local cultural institutions including the Worcester Art Museum, the Hanover Theater, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, the American Antiquarian Society, the Worcester Historical Museum, and Music Worcester. She was on the Board of Trustees for the Worcester Art Museum after serving as docent for 16 years where she served on almost all trustee committees and chaired Education and Collections. She spent a decade on the Board of Trustees at the EcoTarium, beginning when it was still known as the New England Science Center. She was on the council for the American Antiquarian Society and chaired the Education Committee. She was a corporator for the Worcester Community Foundation, and vice president of the board at the Worcester History Museum. Later, she was a member of the UMass Memorial Development Foundation. Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s Jean could often be found leading her grandchildren, one or two at a time, through the galleries at Worcester Art Museum, down a trail at Tower Hill, or to a seat at a theater for a show. She curated outings for each grandchild's interest, though all almost invariably included a stop for chocolate.

Myles and Jean created the Myles and Jean Charitable Foundation in 1988 to continue giving to the community and institutions they loved. In 2011, Jean and Myles were honored with the Harvey Ball Smile Award, which recognizes individuals that have "made a difference in the city of Worcester and helped people throughout the community smile." The outpouring of love and gratitude from the community following Myles' death in 2012 inspired Jean to gift major contributions to her beloved local non-profits while she was still alive, so she could enjoy the experience; it seemed a more fun alternative to her than having institutions celebrate her death. In 2015, Jean put this plan into action and donated $15 million to seven cultural institutions. At the announcement of this gift, she was given the key to the city of Worcester at a formal ceremony where she was surrounded by friends, colleagues, and her family. She loved the fanfare, and she looked fabulous in her outfit designed by her dear friend James Hogan.

Jean is survived by her beloved dog, her two sons, Mark and Neil, her daughter-in-law Lisa, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Services will be private. You can view a link to the eulogy here. The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider visiting one of her favorite institutions in Worcester or making a donation in her honor. The J. HENRI MORIN & SON FUNERAL HOME, 23 Maple Terr., Spencer is directing arrangements for the family.

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