Obituary
Patricia Ann O’Leary passed away peacefully on Wednesday January 17, 2024 at her home in Arlington after a long and valiant battle with cancer.
Tricia is preceded in death by her father, Joseph Michael O’Leary. She is survived by her mother, Dorothy Ann (Impolario) of Medford, her siblings Paul and his wife Joanne of Arvada CO, Kristin Hogan of Woburn and Michael of Medford. She was the self-described “cool” Aunt to Katie and her wife Keila of Arvada CO, Lauren and her husband Tom of Maitland FL, Jessica and her husband Josué of Fredericksburg VA, Megan of Charlotte NC, Jarred of Woburn, Timothy of Denver CO and Michael of Woburn. Tricia also loved her grandnephews and grandniece Theodore, Roni and Benjamin.
Tricia was born in 1970 and graduated from Medford High School in 1988. She earned an Interior Design degree from Becker College and worked doing floral arrangements and for a furniture store/design consultant, which gave her the opportunity to travel around the world seeking exotic and unique furniture and art pieces. She later worked as a bartender at various restaurants and bars in Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, and Fitchburg. Tricia became the mixologist at all family events, frequently improvising a delicious drink from the available ingredients.
She eventually found her true calling as a dog walker and doggie day and overnight care provider. Tricia had always loved having animals around – dogs, cats, birds, fish – and this allowed her to be surrounded by dogs all the time. She frequently had up to thirteen dogs crammed into the back of her little hatchback, taking them for walks around Fresh Pond or to run and play in family’s, friends’, and neighbors’ fenced yards. We all got to know many of her regular client pooches and grew to love some of them almost as much as Tricia did.
Whether Tricia had clients or not, she was always accompanied by her beloved rescue dog Hobo. Tricia and Hobo were rarely apart and traveled all over the northeast together. Before Hobo, Tricia had rescues Ozzie and Pearl, who also received VID (Doggie) treatment from her.
Tricia was a fiercely independent person and lived life exactly as she wanted to. She loved hanging out with friends and had so many that we could not even try to list them. She could frequently be found hanging out in a dimly lit bar to watch a Celtics game, or at a small local dumpling place, or at one of the local beaches. She loved introducing her nieces and nephews to swinging hot spots and unusual events around Boston. Otherwise, she was likely in her apartment hosting a bunch of friends, drinking wine and listening to her latest favorite band, in a room lit only by candles.
Tricia felt strongly about Women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, and frequently attended rallies and marches to support those causes. She was never shy about letting everyone know her opinions.
Tricia kept a positive attitude during her illness and did her best to not let it interfere with her best life. She continued to work with her client dogs, continued to hang out with friends and spent as much time as she could with family for as long as possible.
As her condition worsened, her friends stepped up to help her family with Tricia’s care, providing rides to appointments, help with bills, and everything she possibly needed. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped with her care over the last few years – we will never be able to express how much it meant to her and to her family.
Calling Hours will be held in the George L. Doherty Funeral Home, 855 Broadway (Powder House Sq.) Somerville on Sunday, January 28th from 12:00PM to 3:00PM. Relatives and friends invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Tricia’s memory can be made to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center at https://www.mspca.org/medical-centers/angell-animal-medical-center-boston/ or to the American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org