Elise “Lee” Montgomery Donnelley, 79, of Helena, Montana, formerly of Guilford, died in Helena on June 4. She was the wife of the late James “Jim” Moran Donnelley. She was born in New Haven on July 20, 1932, the second child born to the late Ralph Keeler Montgomery and Olive Wolfe Montgomery.  She graduated from The Day School in New Haven and attended Mount Holyoke College for two years.  After her sophomore year at Mount Holyoke, Lee transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  There she majored in art, graduating in 1954 and receiving membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

After graduation, Lee married James “Jim” Moran Donnelley.   At the time of their marriage, Jim had graduated from Yale and was working by day and attending law school at night.  After Jim finished law school, Jim and Lee moved to Guilford, where Lee was a homemaker.  Jim was killed in an automobile accident in 1970, leaving Lee with four children, ages six to 12.  After Jim’s death, Lee decided to go to law school with the goal of becoming a legal aid attorney.  She graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1975. 

Following law school, Lee worked as a VISTA volunteer for New Haven Legal Services.  She then embarked on something completely different, moving to Bismarck, North Dakota and becoming Legal Services developer for North Dakota Legal Services.  She spent the remainder of her career specializing in elder law.

Lee was an accomplished photographer, painter, and gardener, and she had a repository of vast amounts of trivia.  She liked to travel, exploring Europe and, later, the American West and Alaska.  Keenly interested in politics, she had been a Democrat all her adult life.  Lee loved to spend summers at the family cabin on Flathead Lake in Montana.

Lee is survived by her four children, Katharine Donnelley of Helena, Montana; James Montgomery Donnelley and his wife Sarah Reed of Red Bluff, California, Lisa Donnelley of Anchorage, Alaska, and Stephen Donnelley and his wife Judith Ryan Donnelley of West Grove, Pennsylvania.  She is also survived by her sister, Joan Montgomery Kratzer; two brothers, Dan Montgomery and John Cavanaugh; a brother-in-law, Lawrence Donnelley; a sister-in-law, Lynn Donnelley; five grandchildren, James Richard Donnelley, Michael Petrov, Allison Petrov, Seth Donnelley, and William Donnelley; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.  In addition, she is survived by her little cat, Elf. She was predeceased by her sister, Mary Ann Phelps Montgomery

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 16, at 10 a.m., at the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society, 297 Boston Post Rd., Madison, followed by a reception. A graveside service will take place at noon in Alder Brook Cemetery, Boston St., Guilford, where Lee will be buried next to her husband.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of the U.S. or to one’s local food bank.  The Guilford Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  For more information or to send an on-line condolence, please visit www.GuilfordFuneralHome.com.