Kathleen (Dowd) Oneschuk, 85, of Milford, passed away peacefully Friday, January 20, 2024, at Countryside Health Care. She was the wife of the late Joseph Oneschuk, who passed away in 2019. She was born in Hyde Park in 1938 to Joseph Francis Dowd and Marion (Calcari) Dowd and grew up in Orange, Massachusetts. She graduated from Orange High School, and attended Our Lady of the Elms College before graduating from Marquette University. After returning to New England, she earned her Masters degree at Northeastern University and taught English and history at Danbury High School; Framingham High School; and Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School.
She is survived by her daughter, Kate Meo and her husband, Christopher Meo, of Medway; her son, Joseph Oneschuk, Jr. and his wife, Ashley Nelson-Oneschuk, of Holliston; and her beloved granddaughters, Cadence Oneschuk and Skylar Oneschuk of Holliston. She is also survived by her brother, Daniel Morgan Dowd, and his wife Diane, of Fredonia, New York, and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
She married Joseph Oneschuk in 1966, which sparked the comical headline: “Milford Man Weds Orange Girl.” In Milford, she was a longtime member of the Greenleaf Garden Club and the parish of Saint Mary of the Assumption. She enjoyed playing bridge, gardening, floral arranging, photography, Asian art, embroidery, antiquing, and spending time at the beach in North Eastham. She instilled a love of reading, writing, learning, exploring art and culture, and teaching in her children.
A visiting hour will be held at the Consigli-Ruggerio Funeral Home, 46 Water Street, Milford, on Friday, January 26, 2024, from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 17 Winter Street, Milford, at 10 a.m., followed by burial in the Vernon Grove Cemetery in Milford.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be sent to Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church.