Lillian (Dowd) Cairney, 95 Retired Nynex Employee

FRAMINGHAM – Lillian E. (Dowd) Cairney, 95, longtime Framingham resident (currently resided in Ashland at the Residence at Valley Farm) passed away December 2, 2021 at Milford Hospital after a short illness.  

She was the loving wife of Thomas J. Cairney who died in 1997.

She was the daughter of Irish immigrants from county Kerry the late Maurice Dowd and Catherine Crean Dowd.  Mrs. Cairney was born in Worcester, Ma on April 4, 1926.

Mrs. Cairney worked for many years at New England Telephone / Nynex until her retirement in 1986.

She volunteered for numerous years at the St. Bridget’s food pantry and loved her times at the Framingham Senior Center where she fully enjoyed singing in the chorus with all her girlfriends. Afterwards all the girls were known to frequent Dunkin Donuts and spontaneously break out in song. Lillian was an avid bingo player and loved her trip to Ireland.

She was also a great pet sitter for Cinnamon, Bailey and Nutmeg. Special thanks to the staff at The Residence at Valley Farm for their great support along with Jane Kelliher from Bethany at Home who was a special friend to Lillian.

Mrs. Cairney is survived by her five sons and daughters in-law, James and Ludell (Fosberg) Cairney, of Natick, Thomas and Jean (Bixby) Cairney, of Nashua, NH, Kevin and Dianne (Iarussi) Cairney, of Northbridge, Jack and Kim (Smith) Cairney, of Milford and Brian and Gina (Knight) Cairney, of Milford. She loved spending time with her cherished ten grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. Lillian was predeceased by her siblings & spouses: Marie & Tom White, Maurice & Theresa Dowd, John Dowd, Walter & Judy Dowd, Paul Dowd and Phillip Dowd.  She also leaves her close sisters-in-law Jean Dowd, Marilyn Dowd and Kaye Paige widow of Fred Paige along with many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. in St. Bridget Parish, 830 Worcester Road in Framingham, with burial to follow in St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester. 

Visiting hours will be held Thursday from 8 to 9;30 a.m. at the Matarese Funeral Home, 325 Main Street in Ashland.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the St. Bridget Food Pantry or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

St. Bridget Parish Food Pantry – 15 Wheeler Ave. Framingham, MA  01702

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105