Aileen Danahey

Stonington - Aileen (Amaral) Danahey, a longtime resident of Stonington, passed away unexpectedly Monday, March 30, 2015, while visiting family in Maryland. She was just four days shy of her 91st birthday.

She was born in Stonington, on April 3, 1924, to the late Manuel and Ellen (McDonnell) Amaral. She attended Stonington schools. In February of 1942, she was one of the first wartime early release graduates from Stonington High School. She spent the next five years working as a secretary for the Stonington Publishing Co.

Aileen married John Danahey of Stonington on Thanksgiving Day in 1947. They enjoyed a long and happy marriage of 60 years.Together they raised three children. John and Aileen spent many years living away from their beloved Stonington, happy to return there in 1967, to live out the remainder of their lives.

Aileen is survived by her son, Timothy Danahey and fiancée, Susan Schiemer, of LaPlata, Md.; two daughters, Diane Metcalfe and husband, George, of Nantucket, Mass., and Nancy White and husband, Blunt, of Stonington; a sister, Elizabeth Gomes of Plantation, Fla.; a brother, Eugene Amaral of Sarasota, Fl.; and five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a sister, Dorothy Carreira and a brother, Jack Amaral.

Aileen was a cherished grandmother who always made time for her grandchildren and showed a genuine interest in their lives. She was an avid gardener, reader, knitter, and baker. Her family loved her homemade pies and spaghetti sauce.

Aileen touched the lives of many people and will be sadly missed.

Family and friends are invited to gather at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 4, at St. Mary Church in Stonington, for a Funeral Mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Center for Hospice Care, 227 Dunham St., Norwich, CT 06360.