Donna Anne McCabe, of Needham, formerly of Wellesley passed away Thursday, October 7, 2021 at the age of 73. Born in Needham July 19, 1948, to the late Raymond (Bud) McCabe and Anne (Dolitka) McCabe, she is survived by her brother Gary McCabe and sister-in-law Donna Lee McCabe of Wellesley, her niece Kathryn (Katie) McCabe of Berlin Germany and Wellesley and her life-long best friend Claire Frazier of Framingham. She was predeceased by her nephew Daniel McCabe.
Donna was a graduate of Wellesley High School class of 1966. She was voted the Most Athletic Girl award her senior year. She earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Sargent College at Boston University in 1970. She began her career that same year as a physical education teacher for the Town of Natick and retired in 2006 after 35-years of teaching thousands of elementary school students the joys and lessons of physical education and organized play. Donna coached both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Girls Basketball teams at Natick High School. In 1977 she and another coach filed a grievance with the Natick School Committee claiming that they did the same work as the coaches of the boy's teams but did not receive the same pay. She told the South Middlesex news at the time that the girl's programs had progressed to achieve equal practice time and comparable Bay State League schedules. She said, "colleges are now offering scholarships for women athletes".
Donna enjoyed her summers on White Island Pond in Plymouth with family and friends and her days bowling at Fairway Bowling in Natick and playing pool with friends at Helen Sellew's house. Donna will be missed by many.
Visiting hours will be held Thursday, October 14, 2021, from, 4-7 PM in the Henry J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 56 Washington St. Wellesley. A graveside service will be held Friday, October 15th at 11AM in St. Mary's Cemetery, 1 Wellesley Ave Needham, MA. For those unable to attend, an online guestbook is available at BurkeFamilyFuneralHomes.com.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Donna's memory to A Path in the Woods Foundation (apathinthewoods.org) started in memory of her nephew Dan in 2009. The foundation is dedicated to opening new doors of opportunity and exploration for the young men and women in our community who are searching for their path in life and need assistance, financial or otherwise in beginning their journey. A Path in the Woods Foundation supports programs such as the NITEO program, part of the College Mental Health Programs for Wellness and Academic Success at the Sargent College Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University.