Rosalie Frances Donnelly

On December 20, 2025, Rosalie "Dolly" Frances Donnelly, aged 99, passed away peacefully at home. Born on November 22, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY, she was a resident of McLean, Virginia and Dewey Beach, Delaware.

Rosalie received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in Microbial Genetics and worked as a Research Scientist at the Food and Drug Administration. She also worked as a Professor at the George Washington University Medical School. Over the course of her career, she published numerous articles and papers.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband of 42 years Edward F. Donnelly, Ph.D. She is survived by her sons Edward F. Donnelly, Ph.D. and his wife Ciril and Francis M. Donnelly, Ph.D.; grandchildren, Samuel, his wife Victoria, Caitlin, Maximilian; and one great-grandson, Jordan.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate the life of Rosalie Donnelly at Murphy Funeral Homes on April 9 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 10, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, with inurnment to follow at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always.