Memorial Scholarship Created To Honor Somerville Hit And Run Victim
SOMERVILLE (CBS) -- A scholarship fund at Watertown High School has been created in the name of a woman killed in a hit-and-run crash last week. Forty-year-old Allison Donovan was a long-time teacher and administrator, most recently in the Watertown Public School system.
Donovan was a Burlington native but had been a resident of Somerville for the past 15 years, according to her obituary.
Police say Donovan was with another woman in the crosswalk of Powder House Boulevard and Hardan Road in Somerville Friday evening when she was fatally struck by a pickup truck. The other woman was treated for injuries and has since been released from the hospital.
Donovan was a teacher in Burlington for years before going to Watertown to teach, become a curriculum coordinator and an interim principal. She was a principal for an elementary school in Melrose for two years before returning to the Watertown school system as a coordinator.
"Nothing made Allison happier when she would see children excited about a topic being discussed, wanting to learn more, and seeing their eyes light up because they understood a subject. Allison received so much joy as a teacher and administrator and her spirit will live on in the teachers and students whom she stimulated and helped form a strong educational foundation required to help children progress as students and young adults," her obituary read.
She also loved the outdoors and traveling.
Donovan leaves behind many family members, including her parents, a brother, a sister-in-law, and multiple nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held at the Edward Sullivan Funeral Home in Burlington on Wednesday, February 13 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Mass will be held at St. Margaret's Church in Burlington on Thursday, February 14 at 3:30 p.m. The burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the obituary asks for donations to the Allison Donovan Memorial Scholarship in her name at the Watertown High School Scholarship Program.
The Melrose Public Schools system also realized a statement when they heard about Donovan's sudden death.
"Allison served as the principal of the Lincoln Elementary School from 2015 to 2017. During those two years with the Melrose Public Schools, she sought to lead the Lincoln community with kindness, good humor and concern for the well being of all our students. She was well liked and respected by the entire Melrose Public Schools community," part of the statement read.
