Elizabeth "Polly" Lott Donnellan

“Polly,’’ as she was called, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 13, 1931, youngest daughter of James S. Lott and Ruby Thomas Lott. She had three siblings: Ruby Lou, James, and Mary.

Polly attended P.S. 185, then graduated from Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton High School in 1949. She married James Edward Donnellan, Jr., PhD., a Yale graduate, in 1954. They had two sons: James and Douglas.

During the 1960s, the family lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Ed was a nuclear research scientist. Polly taught swimming and continued her education, achieving a Master’s Degree in Special Education.

The Donnellans were avid sailors. They sailed lakes and the coastal waters of New England.

In the 1970’s, the family lived in Vienna, Austria. Polly became fluent in German.

Oldest son James moved to Australia and the family would join him for memorable vacations Down Under.

After returning to Westbrook, CT Polly worked in area schools. She then established herself as a skilled, dedicated and highly-valued job coach and teacher at Vista Life Innovations, in Westbrook, CT, for many years, working into her 80’s.

Her beloved husband Ed died in 2005. Their son James died in 2013. Youngest son Douglas passed in 2016. Polly’s parents and three siblings predeceased her.

A resident of Apple Rehab in Guilford, CT since April 2016. Polly came to call it ``home.’’

Brave and stoic, always a fighter, Polly maximized her independence: striving in Physical Therapy, reading the New York Times and The New Yorker and sipping her wine. While at Apple Rehab Polly hand-wrote and self-published her lively memoir, “Our Austrian Beagle,” recalling the adventures of breeding and raising beagle pups abroad.

She also kept up with politics and world events, often in conversations with her best friend from early childhood, Bitsie Clark of New Haven, CT.

Retaining her spunk and sparkle, Polly was winsome and commanded a coterie of devoted caretakers to assist her. The very caring, skillful, and dedicated care she received at Apple Rehab brought she and her family much peace and comfort. She will be missed.

A talented singer and actress, Polly would recall performing “Emily’s Soliloquy,” a role in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.’’ In that theatre part, Polly recited:

“ Do any human beings ever realize life, while they live it? -

Every, every minute?”

No service is planned. Condolences may be left online at this site.