Official Obituary of
Ellen Devine McKenney Fahey
June 26, 1925 ~ November 25, 2014 (age 89) 89 Years Old
Ellen Fahey Obituary
Ellen Devine McKenney Fahey
The first woman elected to the Executive Club of the Boston Chamber of Commerce in 1967, Ellen McKenney Fahey, was passionate about Boston’s history and spent decades sharing her passion with visitors, convention groups and families relocating to the area. In 1967 she founded ExecuTours of Boston, the city’s first destination management company. A young widow, using talents developed as a volunteer and mother of four, Ellen Fahey built a million-dollar company that forever changed the way that visitors see Boston.
On the occasion of Ellen McKenney-Fahey Appreciation Day in 1996, Mayor Thomas Menino proclaimed:
Ellen McKenney Fahey dedicated three decades to the development of Boston’s travel and tourism industry through her role as founder and President of ExecuTours, Boston’s first destination management company. As Mayor and on behalf of the people of Boston, we are pleased to celebrate her remarkable contributions and service to her community and profession.
Ellen McKenney Fahey, a resident of Belmont for over 50 years, died, surrounded by her children, on November 25, 2014 at the Allerton House in Hingham. She was 89 years old.
Daughter of a Boston Police Sergeant, Ellen graduated from Boston State Teachers’ College and married Boston Post sportswriter Joe McKenney in 1948. Suddenly widowed in 1970, with four children, she extended her personal love of Boston and its history into her successful business. Joseph McKenney, her beloved husband of 22 years, died in 1970; her second husband, Richard Fahey, Belmont passed away in 2005.
The convention and tourism business was not Ellen’s only passion. A lifetime parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Belmont, Ellen was a devoted mother and volunteer. In 1976 she was named “Massachusetts State Mother of the Year”, recognized for her many accomplishments.
After retiring from her career in the convention and tourism industry, Ellen and her husband Dick split their time between Belmont and Naples, FL. During that time she wrote her memoir, The Story of ExecuTours: 25 Years on the Freedom Trail. Her book was a labor of love and for the rest of her life, she delighted in sharing it with the world, mailing copies to anyone who expressed an interest. Thomas H. O’Connor, author of Boston Irish wrote of the book: Ellen Fahey has combined a fascinating inside account of the complex tour industry with a truly inspirational story of how a young widow survived personal tragedy to become a top business executive. A great read.
Ellen is survived by her children and their spouses: William McKenney, of Belmont, Brian McKenney and his wife Monica of Cohasset, Mari-An Fitzmaurice and her husband Jack of Hingham, Kathleen O’Brien and her husband Patrick of Melrose. She’ll be greatly missed by her grandson and 8 granddaughters, who she often reminded: “I’d love you all anyway dahlings, but it helps that you’re so beautiful.” She also had four great-grandchildren and one surviving sibling, Mary Kennedy Peretti of Belmont.
Visiting hours: Thursday, December 4th, 4:00-8:00 PM, Short, Williamson & Diamond Funeral Home, 52 Trapelo Rd., Belmont. Funeral Mass: Friday, December 5th, 10:30 AM, St. Joseph’s Parish, 130 Common Street, Belmont, 02478
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ellen’s honor may be made to The Employee Appreciation Holiday Fund, Allerton House at Harbor Park, 15 Condito Road, Hingham, MA 02043 Attn: Marilyn Flynn.
The first woman elected to the Executive Club of the Boston Chamber of Commerce in 1967, Ellen McKenney Fahey, was passionate about Boston’s history and spent decades sharing her passion with visitors, convention groups and families relocating to the area. In 1967 she founded ExecuTours of Boston, the city’s first destination management company. A young widow, using talents developed as a volunteer and mother of four, Ellen Fahey built a million-dollar company that forever changed the way that visitors see Boston.
On the occasion of Ellen McKenney-Fahey Appreciation Day in 1996, Mayor Thomas Menino proclaimed:
Ellen McKenney Fahey dedicated three decades to the development of Boston’s travel and tourism industry through her role as founder and President of ExecuTours, Boston’s first destination management company. As Mayor and on behalf of the people of Boston, we are pleased to celebrate her remarkable contributions and service to her community and profession.
Ellen McKenney Fahey, a resident of Belmont for over 50 years, died, surrounded by her children, on November 25, 2014 at the Allerton House in Hingham. She was 89 years old.
Daughter of a Boston Police Sergeant, Ellen graduated from Boston State Teachers’ College and married Boston Post sportswriter Joe McKenney in 1948. Suddenly widowed in 1970, with four children, she extended her personal love of Boston and its history into her successful business. Joseph McKenney, her beloved husband of 22 years, died in 1970; her second husband, Richard Fahey, Belmont passed away in 2005.
The convention and tourism business was not Ellen’s only passion. A lifetime parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Belmont, Ellen was a devoted mother and volunteer. In 1976 she was named “Massachusetts State Mother of the Year”, recognized for her many accomplishments.
After retiring from her career in the convention and tourism industry, Ellen and her husband Dick split their time between Belmont and Naples, FL. During that time she wrote her memoir, The Story of ExecuTours: 25 Years on the Freedom Trail. Her book was a labor of love and for the rest of her life, she delighted in sharing it with the world, mailing copies to anyone who expressed an interest. Thomas H. O’Connor, author of Boston Irish wrote of the book: Ellen Fahey has combined a fascinating inside account of the complex tour industry with a truly inspirational story of how a young widow survived personal tragedy to become a top business executive. A great read.
Ellen is survived by her children and their spouses: William McKenney, of Belmont, Brian McKenney and his wife Monica of Cohasset, Mari-An Fitzmaurice and her husband Jack of Hingham, Kathleen O’Brien and her husband Patrick of Melrose. She’ll be greatly missed by her grandson and 8 granddaughters, who she often reminded: “I’d love you all anyway dahlings, but it helps that you’re so beautiful.” She also had four great-grandchildren and one surviving sibling, Mary Kennedy Peretti of Belmont.
Visiting hours: Thursday, December 4th, 4:00-8:00 PM, Short, Williamson & Diamond Funeral Home, 52 Trapelo Rd., Belmont. Funeral Mass: Friday, December 5th, 10:30 AM, St. Joseph’s Parish, 130 Common Street, Belmont, 02478
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ellen’s honor may be made to The Employee Appreciation Holiday Fund, Allerton House at Harbor Park, 15 Condito Road, Hingham, MA 02043 Attn: Marilyn Flynn.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ellen Devine McKenney Fahey, please visit our floral store.
© 2026 Short, Williamson & Diamond. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS & TA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility