Martha T. Herlihy

Miss Martha T. Herlihy, of Waltham, died Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. She was 80.

Martha was born in Waltham on April 5, 1945, a daughter of the late Dennis and Barbara (Barry) Herlihy, and was a lifelong resident.

She was a 1963 graduate of Waltham High School and later earned he Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge.

Until her retirement Martha worked as an administrator for more than thirty years for the Massachusetts Department of Education.

She and her late sister, Eileen, were avid travelers throughout the country and around the world. They took several memorable cruises that stretched from Greece through the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic and voyages that brought them to Australia and to islands and countries throughout the Pacific.

She came from a large extended family of Barry and Herlihy cousins who have remained close from their youth to the present day.

She was the sister of the late Eileen Herlihy and leaves a large contingent of cousins she so loved.

Family and friends will honor and remember Martha’s life by gathering for a Morning Wake in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Wednesday, January 28th from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by her Funeral Service at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Waltham.