Maria Lowell Gallagher Truslow

Maria Lowell Gallagher Truslow of Newtonville, MA, passed peacefully in Lincoln, MA, on July 30, 2026, with her children by her side. She was 84. Cheerful and generous in spirit, she spent her life caring for others. Her extraordinary kindness, thoughtfulness, and positivity touched all who knew her.

Born in Boston, Maria grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, the eldest of four children of Rollin McCulloch Gallagher Jr., an educator, businessman, and summer camp director, and Anne Burnett Gallagher, an anchor for her family and a fellow camp director. Maria and her three younger brothers spent their childhood summers at South Pond Cabins, a boys’ camp in Fitzwilliam, NH, which their parents ran with their Putnam relatives.

Maria attended Chatham Hall in Virginia, where she played tennis and field hockey, led the athletic association, volunteered in the community, and traveled to Austria through the American Field Service. She later attended Bradford College and the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing before becoming a registered nurse.

In Boston, she met Francis “Tim” Adams Truslow Jr., with whom she raised their children, Anne and Frank, in Wellesley. She shared with them her love of nature, skiing, fly-fishing, reading, and tennis. In later years, she lived in Newtonville, delighted in time with her grandchildren, volunteered with Newton at Home, and remained socially active.

Maria began her career with the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston, serving in inner-city neighborhoods. She later worked for 34 years at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Jamaica Plain. She represented VA nurses in Washington, D.C., and traveled to China with a delegation of U.S. health professionals to study the country’s healthcare system. She was active with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, campaigned for local candidates, and was invited to serve as a Massachusetts delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, but declined for health reasons.

Throughout her life, Maria was a confidante and source of strength to family, friends, colleagues, and patients. She kept friendships from every stage of her life, remembered birthdays, sent thoughtful notes, gifts, and newspaper clippings, and guided many through difficult times. The mountain of holiday cards she received each year reflected how many she touched.

Her kindness was matched by inner strength and positivity. Despite serious health challenges in recent years, she remained cheerful, engaged, and focused on others. Even when her health made travel difficult, she stayed connected by phone, Zoom, and frequent visits from family and friends.

Many described Maria as one of the kindest people they had ever known. One recent reflection captured her spirit: being with Maria was like walking into a ray of sunshine.

Maria is survived by her children, Anne and Frank; their spouses, Jim and Nicole; her grandchildren, Teddy and Thomas; her brothers, Mac, Charlie, and Jay; her sisters-in-law, Ginny, Mindy, and Simonne; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. She will be deeply missed.

The family thanks the healthcare providers who cared for Maria over the years. She was deeply grateful for their care. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.