07/08/2026
IN OUR CARE
Tanya (Wathen-Dunn) Mahoney of Westford, MA, and Naples, FL, passed away peacefully on June 26, 2026, with her loving family and granddogs by her side.
In 2016, Tanya was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a disease that had likely been developing for ten years. Throughout her life, she practiced and instilled in her family the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. At the time of her diagnosis, she was extremely fit and more active than most people her age. As she slowly succumbed to IPF, she remained determined to witness numerous family milestones, including grandchildren's weddings, birthdays (including her own), and one last holiday season with those she loved, until her body could no longer sustain the fight.
Tanya was born on April 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C., to Weiant and Ruth Wathen-Dunn. Her family moved to Lexington when she was six years old, and after graduating from Lexington High School, she entered the nursing program at Boston University.
After marrying her high school sweetheart, David, they embarked on an amazing and often challenging life together. Their first child, a son they named (Michael) Sean, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after birth. CP left Sean severely incapacitated, and Tanya became his steadfast full-time advocate through years of hospitalizations, surgeries, and therapy, in addition to the exhausting demands of daily home care.
The family later welcomed two daughters, Kimberly and Stephanie, who significantly added to her responsibilities. Nonetheless, Tanya was committed to making family life as normal as possible for everyone. She insisted on including Sean in every aspect of daily life, often taking on the physical challenge of lifting him in and out of his wheelchair on her own until he moved into a group home at age 23.
Tanya's life can best be described as one of compassion, love, and, most importantly to her, caring for others. This commitment began when she volunteered as a Candy Striper at Mount Auburn Hospital while in high school. Determined to pursue a nursing career, she returned to school while raising three children and completed her nursing studies at UMass Lowell.
After receiving her RN degree, she began her career as a medical-surgical nurse at Emerson Hospital in Concord. She later became interested in working outside the hospital setting and joined a newly established hospice program in Acton, MA. Hospice care was especially demanding during those years, when many of today's methodologies and technologies did not yet exist. Despite her compassion for patients and families, she ultimately decided that end-of-life care was not her calling.
Her experience navigating the healthcare system to secure the best care for her son and other family members opened her eyes to the lack of patient advocacy throughout the system. This led her to join Travelers Insurance in a newly created patient advocacy program. Seeking more direct interaction with clients, she later moved to Northeast Rehabilitation Network in Salem, NH. As a liaison nurse, she spent her days visiting major Boston hospitals, helping qualify patients of all ages for the physical therapy and rehabilitation services they needed.
Retirement actually marked the beginning of Tanya’s second career.
Having spent years walking the halls of Boston hospitals and developing close relationships with their staff, she searched for a way to stay involved, build on those relationships, and continue helping patients—ideally at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was well known and highly respected. During her time in the hospital wards, she observed how impactful pet therapy could be, particularly for children. She decided that Duffy, her white Westie terrier, would be perfect for the role and had him trained and certified as a pet therapy dog.
For several years, Tanya and Duffy comforted and entertained hundreds of patients at MGH, becoming two of the most requested visitors, especially in the children's wards. Duffy's sudden death was painful for her, as was the loss of the opportunity to continue bringing comfort to patients and their families.
She later volunteered in the Gray Family Waiting Area at MGH, comforting family members and providing updates about their loved ones during some of the most stressful moments of their lives. Later in her tenure at MGH, she was recruited to join the Ladies Visiting Committee, participating in a variety of in-hospital support programs.
Family and friends frequently turned to Tanya for advice on healthcare and self-advocacy and if they didn't ask, she often offered her guidance anyway—in a caring manner and always for their own good. Her mother lived to age 97 and suffered from Alzheimer's disease for twenty-five years, and Tanya spent as much time as possible by her side. She provided similar care and support for her mother-in-law, who passed away at age 94.
Her primary focus, however, was always Sean and ensuring that his group home met her standards of caregiving. Tanya also served on the Board of Directors of Minute Man Arc, which provides regional services and group-home care for her son and clients with similar needs
Tanya loved the outdoors and enjoyed skiing at Sunday River near the family farmhouse in Bethel, hiking with her dogs, biking, and practicing Pilates. She took up golf later than most, but she developed a highly competitive game while playing at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA, and Windstar on Naples Bay in Naples, FL.
She and David were avid boaters and traveled annually throughout the Cape Cod Islands and along the East Coast, from the Canadian border to Florida, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands. Sometimes they traveled with family and friends, and other times it was simply the two of them, accompanied by Duffy and Jack.
As boating became more work than fun, they shifted their focus to their home in Naples Florida and became serious world travelers. Together, they visited all seven continents, where they met extraordinary people and experienced remarkable landscapes, cultures, wildlife, and adventures.
Among Tanya's favorite trips were a cruise to Antarctica, where she walked among thousands of penguins in the snow, and a 2022 around-the-world wildlife expedition that included a stop in Rwanda to visit a family of mountain gorillas. Despite the altitude and her need for supplemental oxygen, she insisted on being carried into the forest on a stretcher so she could sit among them.
Tanya had an extraordinary impact on everyone she met throughout her life. She found something to like in everybody, and people found plenty to admire in her. Her compassion, strength, and selflessness has set a high standard for her progeny to emulate. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
Tanya is survived by David, her husband of 62 years; her three children, Michael Sean Mahoney of Acton, Kimberly Ann Henderson of Nashua, NH, and Stephanie Jill Moody and her husband Hal Moody of Exeter, NH; and her grandchildren, Harris and Laurenn Moody of Marstons Mills, Alexandra Moody of Boston, Thomas and Kelsey King of Princeton, Kevin Henderson of Westford, and Molly Henderson of Grafton.
She is also survived by her sister, Rebecca Wathen-Dunn of Berlin, MA, and her brother, Peter W. Wathen-Dunn of Hyattsville, MD. Finally, Tanya leaves numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, along with many close friends and neighbors who showed tremendous compassion in helping comfort her during years of declining health. They will all miss her warm friendship and beautiful smile.
The family is planning a celebration of Tanya’s life at noon on October 9th at the Nashawtuc Country 1861 Sudbury Rd., Concord, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Tanya's memory be made to the charities that held special meaning for her:
A memorial service for Tanya will be held at a later date in October.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Tanya's memory be made to the charities that held special meaning for her:
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
223 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 350,
Chicago, IL 60606
www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org
Or
Minute Man Arc www.minutemanarc.org
Or
Cure Alzheimer's Fund
34 Washington St. Suite 230
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
www.curealz.org
Or
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114 www.massgeneral.org
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