It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Duggan in the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 27, 2026. She was 99.

Betty is finally reunited with the love of her life, Edward “Eddie” Jarlath Duggan, 10 years and one month to the day of his passing. Betty endured so much in her long life and even though the tumult of her last two weeks, she remained determined and strong.

She was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts on April 6th,1927. She was the youngest of five. Her father died when she was twelve years old and that event put an enormous strain on her mother. The family pushed on with Betty deciding to become an RN, a career she pursued until she married a certain neighborhood boy by the name of Eddie in 1951. Eddie was quoted as saying that he “chased her until she let me catch her”.

Together they created a family, with Eddie in the Marine Corps and Betty taking care of the home front. During the Korean War Eddie was deployed for fourteen months without a trip home while Betty was left to care for their two toddlers in Boston. A military family is always on the move, and that was certainly the case over Eddie’s twenty years of military service. Two decades that saw the birth of nine children between California, Nebraska, and finally Boston, Massachusetts upon retirement. Betty’s strength in the face of adversity and pride in motherhood was simply unmatched.

In 1966 Hingham, MA became their home and the center of her universe until her passing. Raising a big family in a small house with only three bedrooms and two bathrooms made bunk beds the norm and a pullout sleeper sofa in the living room a necessity. A picnic table in the kitchen with benches was a practical solution, meaning a kitchen that was always lively (or chaotic). About her cooking, Betty was known to say “it’s not good but there’s a lot of it”.

As the kids grew up and moved out the nest became empty. However, all returned for cookouts, birthdays, and holidays. Much joy echoed in that small house.

It’s hard to sum up ninety-nine years of a life, but it’s easy to say that Betty stayed actively involved in ALL of it. Telephone, telegraph, tell-a-Betty sums it up, as she was a true matriarch. She loved to travel, listening to mystery novels, and crocheting, making the best blankets as gifts for friends and family.

There’s a family joke that claimed Betty always had a suitcase packed and ready to go on any spontaneous trip at a moment’s notice. As she grew older, Betty traveled through books and Hallmark movies and through her local and national news broadcasts.

She was always up for an adventure and was always open to new people and ideas. She was sometimes left scratching her head but always came around and understood that things change. She said that she had seen so much in her life, but that recent changes in our country were the most dramatic and troubling she had seen. That may be surprising considering she was around for the Great Depression, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, 9/11, and more. She always expressed hope that things would change for the better for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. A hope that we all share.

Betty lived life to the fullest and touched the lives of so many people. She will be truly missed, but certainly not forgotten. These may be the facts of Betty’s life but it’s the space between these facts where Betty truly lived, always on her own terms.

She was the beloved wife of 65 years to the late Edward J. Duggan. Devoted mother to Paul Duggan of NM, Frank Duggan and his wife Susan of CT, Louise Everett and her husband Steve of GA, Mark Duggan of Hingham, Mary Ann Maynard of Bridgewater, Peter Duggan and his wife Lisa of Plymouth, Theresa Duggan of Weymouth, Joseph Duggan and his wife Shannon of RI, and the late Aileen Arzeno and her surviving husband Felipe of Brockton. Adoring Grandma to Bridget, Patrick, Michael, Ashley, Sarah, Eric, Halle, Maggie, Elisa, and Monica. Great Grandma to Boden, Cyrus, Finn & Sawyer. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and extended family.

Predeceased by her parents, Helen Eva (Madigan) and Francis Joseph Geary and her siblings: Fran Geary, John Geary, Helen LeBlanc, and Nancy Cummings.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Friday, October 30th, from 4-6 PM in the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St. (off Central St.), HINGHAM. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home at 9:15 AM on Saturday, October 31st, prior to the Funeral Mass in St. Paul’s Church, Hingham at 10 AM. Burial in St. Paul’s Cemetery, Hingham.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Betty’s name may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Please see www.Keohane.com for directions and online condolences.