Patricia (Pat) Eleanor O'Neill, formerly McGrath, of Dorchester, passed away on Wed., April 22 in the comfort of her sons.

O’Neill, 80, was the longtime leader of the Ashmont Adams Neighborhood Association. She had battled illness in recent months.

Her friend Gail Ravgiala passed along news of O’Neill’s death in an email to neighbors on Thursday.

“Please remember her for the force of nature that she was and for the community spirit that she had and pay it forward in her memory,” said Ravgiala.

Pat is lovingly survived by her sons David X. O'Neill and Patrick J. O'Neill, her grandchildren Kane X. O'Neill and Jaxson D. O'Neill and her sister MaryAnn Nourse. Funeral arrangements are private due to restrictions.

Born and raised in Dorchester, she rose to be a District Manager for Avon with a successful career in sales management. She was predeceased by her husband David B. O'Neill, her sister Bridget Olivolo, her brother Francis J. McGrath, and parents Patrick F. McGrath and Eleanor E. Kaminski.

By neighbors, O’Neill will be remembered for her deep devotion to community service. She organized many well-known and well-loved neighborhood events and fundraisers like the Dorchester Chili Cook-Off and tree lightings in her Ashmont-Adams neighborhood.

Mayor Martin Walsh said today that he is "deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pat O’Neill."

"From the annual Chili Cook-off to the Peabody Square Holiday Celebrations, she dedicated her life to sharing simple joy with her community," the mayor write in a message posted on his social media platforms. "Pat was a true force for good. Dorchester and the entire City of Boston will miss your fierce and loving presence."

O'Neill was honored as “Volunteer of the Year” Boston Main Streets and the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women honored her as one of its “unsing heroes.” O’Neill was also honored by the Dorchester YMCA at its 2017 gala at Venezia in Port Norfolk.

In 2016, she received with UMass Boston’s Quinn Award for outstanding community leadership at their annual community breakfast.

Pat O'Neil, third from left, during a Dorchester Day Parade in 2005.

“For me, community leadership is like being a concierge and stepping up to the plate when you see something isn’t right,” O’Neill said at the time. “It is helping people find the avenue to what they need. It is pointing them to the bus stop, not driving the bus. That is what keeps a neighborhood strong.”

Rep. Dan Cullinane said: "It is impossible to put into words how much she will be missed. Dorchester will not be the same. Pat was without question one of the most dedicated, selfless, caring, humble, fun and funny community leaders our neighborhood will ever know. I know how much we will all miss her comments, jokes and laughter."

Cullinane added: "When we emerge from this period quarantine and begin to gather as a community again. I look forward to working with you all, Ashmont Adams & Greater Ashmont to find a way to honor and memorialize Pat's legacy in a permanent way in the neighborhood."

Deirdre Habershaw first met O’Neill through interactions working in former City Councillor Maureen Feeney’s office.

“Pat was the president of Ashmont-Adams [Neighborhood Association], and I lived in Savin Hill at the time but I intersected with her regularly as a constituent through the councillor’s office,” said Habershaw.

“Once I moved to Ashmont-Adams I started to see her more and more in the neighborhood. Pat was just, she was just a great person. She could be really tough. As the president of the group she definitely held elected officials to task and she was a great advocate for the neighborhood.”

Habershaw remembers all of the work O’Neill did in the community.

“She did so much, she was always hosting pool parties at her house, she organized trips and trolley tours, started the chili-cook off,” she said. “She was constantly doing a lot of the work that added to a lot of our community rituals.”

She added through tears: “It’s just particularly hard right now to know that Pat is gone and that we can’t come together as a community right now to support her family. When I think of Pat the term that comes to mind is young at heart. I’m glad for her family that they were able to be with her. We’re thinking of them and we will miss her so much.”

Jenn Cartee, executive director of Greater Ashmont Main Streets, said: "Pat O'Neill lived a life of service to her community, connecting neighbors and friends to each other and needed resources, finding joy in creating and maintaining local traditions, and celebrating everything that made her own corner of Dorchester so special. We benefited greatly from her leadership, partnership, and volunteerism over the years and will treasure and be inspired by our memories of her for years to come."

Della Costello, a friend and neighbor, called O'Neill a "dynamic" woman with a lot of energy and concern for the community.

"It’s very sad about Pat. She had been the president of Ashmont-Adams Neighborhood Association for about 20 years and she was just dynamic. She really was— she had a lot of energy and she knew how to get things done,” said Costello.

“She led so many community events, including the Codman Square House Tour which connected Melville Ave. to Ashmont Hill, to the Ashmont Adams area. It really broadened our scope and we got to know a lot of people and had some wonderful times with the tours.”

Costello said that O’Neill also led annual spring cleanups, was very involved in the Peabody Square and Ashmont Station renovations, held pool parties and annual pumpkin carving for kids in the neighborhood, and was involved with the Rundel Park flag raising and cleanup.

“She was so dynamic and very, very good for the neighborhood,” added Costello. "She will be greatly missed.”

Nancy Anderson, who organized the Chili-Cook Off and annual neighborhood trips to watch the Pawtucket Red Sox with O’Neill, said of her friend’s passing: “It’s unbelievably sad. It’s hard to imagine that this community, and city, is going to go on without her.”

“She was quite the character. If you had an idea, she’d help you jump into it-- that's just what it was like with Pat,” said Anderson. “I’m sure everyone would agree-- she was a force of nature. She was so driven and she always had a smile."

“For every serious thing we had to do-- like if there was a big agenda item for Ashmont-Adams-- she’d have us do two fun things,” Anderson added with a laugh. “Like a pool party or a pumpkin carving event.”

Anderson said that O’Neill was there for her when she lost her husband Vince Droser, whose vision and leadership have been instrumental in the revitalization of the Ashmont area.

“She really helped me through that very difficult time, and she was a good friend of my husband. She was there for everyone who needed it," said Anderson. “She was just a pleasure and she was so fun to work with, she could put together a team and was able to pull the best out of everyone."

Although many knew about O’Neill’s work in the community, Anderson said that she often made little contributions in Dorchester that people weren’t always aware of.

“Down by Elmer Rd. and, Rundle Park, there’s a little sidewalk that cars could drive over,” said Anderson. “That always irritated Pat and I, so we went out and bought huge planters to block the cars. That was just one of the small, quality-of-life things that she often did.”

She added: “Pat made the best lemon squares in the city.”

Stacey Monahan, friend and neighbor, called O'Neill the "heart and soul" of Ashmont-Adams.

"Pat O’Neill, (or Mrs. O’Neill as I called her), was the heart and soul of the Ashmont-Adams Neighborhood, who had a deep devotion to Dorchester, and to all the people who call Dorchester home," said Monahan.

"She was truly one of a kind, and was the first person to step up to help anyone in need. There was no job too big- or too small for her to tackle, and she could convince even the toughest personalities to do whatever she wanted."

Added Monahan: "Pat was the first one to cheer for your successes, but was quick to sniff out nonsense, and she did not suffer fools. As my friend/neighborhood mom, I’ve been so fortunate to have her love and support for so many of life’s milestones, and her loss will be felt deeply forever."