Gwendolyn Cecelia (McDonald) Carr, 93 of Gloucester, Massachusetts passed away on March 28 at Kaplan Family Hospice in Danvers, Massachusetts. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of Harold and Lydia (Arcieri) McDonald. She and her beloved husband Lloyd were married for 68 years.
Gwen was a talented and accomplished dressmaker who started sewing at the early age of 10. One of the first evening dresses she made was for a Toronto fashion model who was attending a New Year’s Eve party. The model told Gwen that the dress was the talk of the party. Throughout her life Gwen always dressed beautifully, right up to her last interviews with her care providers. She had many loyal clients from the Cape Ann area who counted on her to alter their clothes to make them look their best.
In addition to her sewing skills Gwen was a prolific poet who published four volumes of her work, won numerous awards in regional poetry competitions, and wrote the short autobiography My Mother’s Machine about how she became a dressmaker and designer. She was also the author, along with her husband Lloyd, of The Fierce Goodbye.
Gwen is survived by her son Randolph Carr and his wife Gabrielle Barzaghi of Gloucester, her grandson Benjamin Carr and his wife Heather of Beverly Farms, her half-brother Brian McDonald of Toronto, numerous relatives of McDonald’s Point in New Brunswick, and many beloved friends. She was predeceased by her husband G. Lloyd Carr and her daughter-in- law Rose Marie Carr.
A funeral service will be held at Christ Church, 149 Asbury Street, Hamilton on Saturday April 2, 2022 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers donations in the name of Gwendolyn Carr can be made to Kaplan Family Hospice, c/o Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan Street, Danvers, Massachusetts 01923, or the Langham Partnership, P. O. Box 189, Cave Creek, Arizona 85327.
