Matilda "Tillie" (Mogan) Sweet

Matilda "Tillie" Sweet, 81, passed away peacefully in Littleton on May 22, 2018, surrounded by family. She was the oldest child of Paul Mogan and Lillian (Gosse) Mogan, and wife of the late Jack Sweet. She grew up on School Street in Waltham, and was a proud Waltham High School graduate.

Tillie graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, and later helped usher in another generation of nurses as an instructor at Lasell College in Newton.

While still a student at BU, she met and fell in love with Jack Sweet, another Waltham native. Together they settled in Concord, and raised four beautiful children, and several rambunctious dachshunds.

Tillie is most well-known for her longtime love of community theater, playing numerous key roles both on and off stage. She served as President of the Concord Players, as makeup chair, and on several casting and play selection committees. Among her favorite roles over the years were Auntie Eileen in "Cripple of Inishmaan", Vera Charles in "Auntie Mame", and Kalonike in "Lysistrata." She was awarded Best Actress at the EMACT one-act play competition in 1999 for her portrayal of Fran Pearson in "The Wall: A Pilgrimage." Tillie was also a founding member of the Traveling Players, a troupe of volunteers who perform humorous short works and excerpts in convalescent homes throughout the community.

In addition to their many theater productions, Tillie and Jack brought fictional and historical characters to life in fundraising events for the Antiquarian Society, the Old Manse, and Orchard House. More recently, Tillie portrayed the pagan Queen Maeve for the annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations at Grace Episcopal Church in Everett.

Her Irish heritage was very important to her, so it's no coincidence that many of Tillie's favorite roles had a bit of the brogue to them. She and Jack traveled to Ireland in 1998, partly for pleasure, and partly to conduct genealogical research into their family histories.

Tillie is survived by her brother Paul Mogan and his wife Kathleen Mogan of Scituate, her sister, Mary DeSimone and her husband Frank DeSimone of Needham, her son John Sweet and his wife Linda Branagan of San Francisco, CA, her son Paul Sweet and his wife Katherine Schmieder of Pelham, her daughter Elise Stromgren and her husband Lindsay Stromgren of Pelham, her daughter Laura Sweet, and grandchildren Merissa Stromgren, Merrick Stromgren, and Amy Sweet.

She is remembered for her boundless talent, wit, and enthusiasm, and her heartfelt loyalty and dedication to her family and friends. Wherever she went, she brought a smile to the room.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Tillie for visiting hours on Friday, June 8 from 4:00-7:00 pm in the Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap St., Concord. Her funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, June 9 at 10:00 am at Holy Family Parish, Monument Square, Concord Center, Concord. MA. Burial will follow at St. Bernard's Cemetery, Concord.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that you please donate to your favorite local performing arts organization. Tillie was an avid supporter of the Concord Players, the Acme Theater in Maynard, the Vokes Players in Wayland, and the Arlington Friends of Drama