Leona C. Mansfield

Leona C. (Allen) Mansfield, 94, of Mattapoisett, passed away on March 9, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was the wife of the late Donald L. Mansfield, with whom she shared 46 years of marriage. Together they formed an inseparable partnership, delighting in gardening, traveling, cooking, creating a beautiful home, and above all, cherishing time with their family.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Leo and Josephine (Davis) Allen, Leona grew up in New Bedford. After marrying, she and Don lived on the North Shore, settling in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where she taught kindergarten and first grade. The couple summered in Mattapoisett for many years before making it their permanent home in retirement.

Leona possessed a remarkable creative spirit. In her younger years she worked with ceramics and gold leaf painting, stenciled the walls of their home, and created stenciled fabrics for quilting. She was an avid reader who also found joy in watching birds, gardening, knitting, and solving crosswords. A strong, generous, warm, and loving woman, her faith remained central to her life as a devoted communicant of St. Anthony’s Church. She was an active member of the Mattapoisett Women’s Club and Friends of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging, where she organized and oversaw craft projects made for residents of local nursing homes.

She is survived by her daughters, Melinda Reed and her husband Peter, Lori Briggs, and Jane Zychowicz, all of Mattapoisett; her best friend since grade school and sister-in-law Patricia Allen; her grandchildren, Amalia Thomson and her husband Liam, and Paul Zychowicz and his wife Karen; and her great-grandchildren, Quinn, Tripp, Alex, and Nathan. She leaves several nieces and a nephew, with special gratitude for her niece Susan Dawson, who faithfully visited and brought light to her days. She was predeceased by her siblings Kevin Allen, Bernadette St. Denis, and Florence MacFarlane, and by her son-in-law Daniel Briggs.