Louise Donelan; social worker was 'ultimate extrovert'; 92

Mrs. Donelan was born in South Boston and grew up in Foxborough. She grew up with seven brothers, who called her Sally.

Mrs. Donelan graduated from Foxborough High School in 1933 and from Emmanuel College in Boston with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1937. In 1939, she graduated from Boston College with a master's degree in social work and was a member of the first class that included women, relatives said.

"She studied chemistry because she wanted to go to medical school, but then decided to do social work, which was perfect," said one of her daughters, Martha Conaty of Wilmington. "She was the ultimate social worker. She was the type of person who people went to with all their problems."

Upon graduation, Mrs. Donelan moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for Catholic Charities USA, which works to reduce poverty.

"She was very independent," Conaty said.

While she was living in Washington, Mrs. Donelan met her husband, Charles, at a Boston College communion breakfast at Georgetown University. They married in 1941. Charles worked as an FBI inspector, which led the couple to live in various locations on the East Coast. Shortly after they married, the couple moved to New York, where Mrs. Donelan worked for the American Red Cross.

In 1943, Mrs. Donelan ceased working and concentrated on raising her four children.

During the following 20 years, the family lived in Silver Spring and Hyattsville, Md., eventually settling in McLean, Va., in the early 1970s.

"She was the kind of person who could have done anything she wanted, but she really devoted herself to her family," her daughter said. "She would always be there for you, no matter if she knew you and loved you or met you in the grocery store. She was always available, always positive. She never told you what to do; she just listened to what you had to say and just talked it out with you."

At age 50, Mrs. Donelan resumed her career and worked in the adoption field. She worked at Pierce Warwick in Washington, D.C., for several years before working for the Barker Foundation Adoption Agency, also in the capital, until her retirement in 1985.

"She found so many homes for babies," Conaty said. "It gave her such pleasure and satisfaction to know that these children were sent to a lovely home."

Relatives said people who Mrs. Donelan helped while she worked in the adoption agencies were still in contact with her until her death. They invited her to the adopted children's weddings, sent her cards, and often called her.

"People wanted to be in her life, and she wanted everyone in her life," her daughter said.

In 1987, Mrs. Donelan and her husband moved to Wilmington to be closer to their two daughters and grandchildren. Relatives said Mrs. Donelan played a vital role in her grandchildren's lives.

Even in her later years, Mrs. Donelan enjoyed an active social life, interacting with and delighting a younger generation of friends. She loved to entertain guests at her house and always wanted to host holiday celebrations.

"She was a beautiful person, outward and inward, just a shining star," her daughter said.

Mrs. Donelan enjoyed reading all kinds of books, and she was a member of a book club. Her daughter said Mrs. Donelan was often the only member to actually read the assigned books.

Relatives said Mrs. Donelan touched everyone she met in a memorable and lasting way.

"She never, never stopped being interested in living," Conaty said. "She was the ultimate extrovert. It kept her so vital. She would always tune in on whoever she was talking to, whether it was a baby or a 98-year-old fellow."

Mrs. Donelan's husband died in 1991. In addition to her daughter Martha, Mrs. Donelan leaves another daughter, Sara Whitworth of Scituate; two sons, Matthias of Chestnut Hill and Charles of Martinsburg, W.Va.; a brother, Paul of Fairhaven; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be said at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington today at 10 a.m. Burial will be private.