Alma Wahlberg, mother of Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, dead at 78

Alma Wahlberg, matriarch of the Wahlberg family, has died at the age of 78. She is mother of Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, who both remembered their mother on social media Sunday night. 

"My angel. Rest in peace," wrote singer and actor Mark Wahlberg. The 49-year-old is the youngest of his mother's nine children. 

His brother, singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg also posted about their mother. "I'm so blessed to have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life's path by, such an amazing woman," the 51-year-old wrote.

"My mom Alma's joy for life, love and people — combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from — undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am," Wahlberg's post continued.

Wahlberg said "if you like anything about me, I got it from Alma," and that his mother was, "without a doubt, the most loving human being I've ever known."

He said his mother overcame odds and "made something from nothing" for her children. He called her a "warrior" and "angel" who was "the epitome of the word grace."

"As a young boy, she'd invite me to sing her favorite song with her (Native New Yorker by Odyssey) as she cleaned our home," his post continued. "There's no doubt that the two of us singing into a mop stick, while disco dancing on our 'sparkling' linoleum floor, helped inspire the dreamer in me — just like the dreamer in her."

Wahlberg said his mother danced to "If I Could" by Regina Belle with each of her children at their weddings. At his wedding, he surprised her with a performance by Belle. 

Wahlberg's wife Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg also posted in remembrance of her mother-in-law, writing on Twitter that she was "the world's greatest mother-in-law." 

The mother of nine grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where she raised her children, according to A&E, which aired the family's reality show "Whalbergers." 

Wahlberg worked as a bank clerk and nurse's aid before becoming a hostess at her sons' restaurants, "where she shares her infectious laugh and sense of humor with everyone who comes to dine," according to A&E. 

"After all of her sons' success, the proud mother always makes sure family still comes first," A&E says.