Marylee (Boyle) Pelosky

Marylee (Boyle) Pelosky passed away peacefully on November 9, 2025, in Harwich, MA. She was 91 years old. She died just four months after her beloved husband of 68 years, Robert (Bob) Pelosky passed away.

Born on October 23, 1934, in Belmont, MA, Marylee was the fourth of six children of Marie Fenton and John Boyle. The Boyle clan were scholar athletes and Marylee was no exception. Tennis was her sport of choice, and she enjoyed it throughout her entire life, proudly cherishing her racquet from the first of many tournaments for 80 years!

Marylee founded and led the Shrewsbury, MA Tennis Program for close to two decades, coached at the high school & university level and instilled her love for the sport in all six of her children. It was a point of tennis pride that no combination of Pelosky men could beat any combination of Pelosky women! She was particularly proud of her work with wheelchair athletes.

A University of Massachusetts Theta alum since 1956, Marylee served on The Mortar Board and was part of the campus judiciary. Her love for public education and her legacy of service at UMASS Amherst was recognized in her receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award.

At UMASS, she met Bob Pelosky, her husband to be. One of their first dates was to a basketball game where Marylee showed off some of her sports knowledge, quickly convincing Bob that she was a keeper. They married in 1957, had six children, and raised them in the heart of Shrewsbury, MA.

Marylee was a leader with a strong penchant for social justice, hard work and physical fitness. She modeled and encouraged her children to volunteer, work hard and be active in the communities in which they found themselves. Her legacy lives on in her children. Socially active, she loved to play bridge, have friends over, go out and in general always had a smile for people.

Proud of her Irish heritage, Marylee often recalled the days when being Irish in Boston wasn’t so easy, and people with special needs were treated poorly. Marylee encouraged her children and grandchildren to stand up for others and be supportive of today’s newcomers. As her grandchildren well know, she was “always in their corner.”

Marylee embodied the spirit of volunteerism, giving freely of her time for decades in such varied causes as working election days at the polls, board membership of the Cape Playhouse, and advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In particular, she was very active in the special needs communities in Shrewsbury and Worcester.

A woman of strong Catholic faith, Marylee found inspiration in her brother Ed as he pursued the vocation of a Jesuit priest. She served as a lector and Eucharistic minister both in St Mary’s parish in Shrewsbury as well as Our Lady of The Cape parish in Brewster.

Affectionately known as Mom, Garmie, ML and The Boss, Marylee cherished the idea of a summer home on Cape Cod with all that Cape Cod summers entail. Ultimately, she and Bob retired on the Cape and for decades they welcomed friends and family from afar to experience their own slice of heaven, especially Corporation Beach and The Smuggler Ice Cream shop in Dennis, MA.

Marylee is survived by and remembered with great love by her six children and nine grandchildren: Jay (Ryan and Zack), Bill and Caroline (Grace and Rose), Kevin and Sheri, Mark and Christine (Liam and Sacha) Ann Marie and Jean (Sebastien, Alix, and Jean-Christian), Mary Beth; and her younger brother Gerry.

She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Bob, her parents Marie and John, her brothers, Jack and Ed, and sisters, Susan and Patricia.

Calling hours will be 4 to 7 pm on Wednesday, April 8 at Doane, Beal & Ames Funeral home in South Dennis, MA. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated for Marylee at Our Lady of the Cape in Brewster, MA on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 11 am.

The Pelosky family wishes to recognize the Heatherwood community for its friendships, enrichment and joy brought to Marylee in her later years. Extra appreciation is expressed to longtime caretaker, and honorary family member, Ms. Heather Roberts. To commemorate Marylee’s lifelong support of people with special needs, in lieu of flowers, the family requests to be made in her name to The Arc of Opportunity, https://give.arcofopportunity.org/checkout/24057 to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.