Winter 2025
By Hannah White Hannah
When Dolores Tassinari passed away at the age of 94 last year, she left behind a legacy of quiet strength, family devotion, and enduring generosity. A longtime resident of Plymouth, Mass., Dolores lived a life rooted in service—to her family, her community, and, in her final wishes, to a cause deeply personal to her heart.
In 2025, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute received an extraordinary estate gift of $2,464,652 from the Dolores E. Tassinari estate. Designated to support research and treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, the gift honors the memory of Dolores’ beloved daughter, Suzanne Tassinari, who died of the illness in 1991.
For over four decades, Dolores worked alongside her husband, Ernest, as a public accountant in Plymouth. She was a woman of many passions, finding joy in gardening, reading, and cheering on the Red Sox. Dolores cherished weekly Scrabble games with her neighbors and took pride in her role as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Her generous bequest to Dana-Farber reflects her enduring love for Suzanne and her desire to help others facing a similar diagnosis. It will help accelerate the work of Dana-Farber’s clinicians and scientists as they pursue new therapies and improved outcomes for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.
“My parents understood that Dana-Farber was the institution with the deepest and broadest set of skills and experience in New England for cancer treatment and research.”
Mark Tassinari
Dolores’ legacy centers around her children, and she is survived by her daughter Marie Bower of Maryland, sons Edward Tassinari of Plymouth, and Mark Tassinari of Pembroke, New Hampshire—as well as five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her gift ensures that her family’s story will continue to touch the lives of countless others.
“My parents understood that Dana-Farber was the institution with the deepest and broadest set of skills and experience in New England for cancer treatment and research,” said Mark.
“My sister’s condition ultimately proved incurable with the medical resources and treatments available in 1990 and 1991. It was my mother’s wish, and indeed that of our entire family, to contribute to the ongoing efforts at Dana-Farber to find new and effective treatments for the benefit of others.”
Dolores’ legacy, like the garden she so lovingly tended, will continue to grow—bringing hope to patients and families for generations to come.