Mildred J. Reissfelder

REISSFELDER, Mildred J. “Mil” (Connelly) of Westwood, MA passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on October 16, 2023.  She was 89 years old.  Mil was the beloved wife of the late William E. (Bill) Reissfelder, with whom she shared 31 cherished years of marriage; and the loving sister of her late siblings:  Sister Dorothy Connelly, SND; Helen Perachi and her husband Joseph; Edward Connelly; and Virginia Connelly.  She is survived by her sister Mary Connelly of McLean, VA; her brother Paul Connelly and his wife Judy of Easton, MA; and her sister-in-law Sheila Connelly of Walpole, MA.  She is also survived by her eight children:  Kathryn M. Foley and her husband John, William J. Reissfelder and his wife Mary, Robert E. Reissfelder and his wife Andrea, all of Westwood, MA; Paul W. Reissfelder of Attleboro, MA; Richard W. Reissfelder of Biddeford, ME; Carolyn M. Cronk and her husband Brian of Mine Hill, NJ; David W. Reissfelder and his wife Christine of Manchester, MA; and Stephen E. Reissfelder and his wife Rachel of Cohasset, MA. 

Mil was a loving grandmother called “Nan” by her twenty adoring grandchildren, each of whom were blessed to have genuine, loving, individual relationships with her:  Jack, Brian and Meghan Foley; Bill (Katherine), Joe, John and Kathleen Reissfelder; Matt (Elizabeth), Alex, Lauren and Brian Reissfelder; Will Reissfelder; Michael, Brooke and Nick Reissfelder; Sam and Lee Reissfelder; and Emma, Molly and Lily Reissfelder.  Mil also was the beloved aunt to her eighteen nieces and nephews.

Mil was born and raised in Roslindale, MA, the first child born to her parents, Edward and Katherine Connelly.  Mil graduated from Mission Church High School in 1951, and earned her undergraduate degree in 1955 and her Master’s Degree in Education in 1959, both from the State Teachers College of Boston.  She taught first and second grade in Brockton and at the Callahan School in Norwood until she and Bill started their family in 1962.  Originally having lived in Dedham, they moved to Fieldstone Road in Westwood in 1969, where Mil resided for 54 years.  She was a proud parishioner of St. Margaret Mary Church for all of her years in Westwood, and volunteered there in a number of capacities, including teaching CCD, serving as a Eucharistic Minister, and working on several committees.  She also served as a volunteer at the Westwood Council on Aging.

Mil lived a life built on the foundation of faith, family and friends.  She was immensely proud of her immediate and extended family, who often looked to her for guidance, support, and wisdom.  She had a genuinely warm, kind and welcoming spirit that deeply touched many people of all different walks of life.  Her legacy will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her, and she will be missed by her family, friends and all who were blessed to know her.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Visiting Hours in St. Margaret Mary Church, 845 High St., Westwood on Tuesday, October 24 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 25 at 10:00 AM in St. Margaret Mary Church.  Following the Mass, interment will be at Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain.  In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Mildred’s memory to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at https://www.sndden.org/.