Shealagh Alicia Darragh

Shealagh Alicia Darragh, age 75, a resident of Nashua, NH, passed away peacefully at the Nashua Post Acute Care, NH after a long illness on Monday, February 9, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late Henry J. Collins with whom she enjoyed 20 years of marriage until his passing in 1990.

She was born in Lowell on December 5, 1950, and was the daughter of the late Edward Darragh and Alice (Bobo) Green. The middle child among five siblings—Shaun, Edward, Mark, and Gregory Darragh—Shealagh (or Shea) grew up in a loving yet resilient family that fought tooth and nail to survive under a single mother after the passing of their father, Edward Sr.

That hard earned resilience became the foundation that carried Shea through both the joys and the hardships of her life. After graduating from Lowell High School in 1968, she boarded a plane to Okinawa to marry her true love, Henry Collins—at a time when many people had never even made an international phone call, let alone an international flight.

Henry had been drafted into the U.S. Army, but Shea wasn’t about to let a war stand in the way of their life together. They went on to have two sons, Ryan and Evan. When Henry was diagnosed with cancer, Shea worked tirelessly to provide income while also caring for her husband. After Henry’s passing, Shea earned her nursing license and devoted her career to caring for others—once again drawing on that same resilience.

Shea was smart, silly, quick-witted, and never shy about telling you exactly what she thought. With Shea, everything was turned up to the extreme—in all the best ways. In a world that often felt uncertain, she gave people clarity, confidence, and reassurance. When she stood with you, her loyalty and love were steadfast.

Shea loved hearing from her children Ryan and Evan, her granddaughter Noelle (through Ryan), her niece Alicia, her sister in-law Wendy, and her wide circle of family and friends. We never saw her happier than when she had a glass of wine at a Paris café—or laughing at her sons while they tried, unsuccessfully, to play tricks on her by the peat fire pit on her deck.

Shea had reached the finish line of a long and arduous race, and she often reflected that every struggle along the way had been worth it. We will always love her all the more for that resilience, and for how she helped make the paths we all walk a little brighter and more enjoyable.

Shealagh is survived by her son Ryan Collins and granddaughter Noelle Collins of Frankfort, IL; her son Evan Collins and his fiancée, Katey Alleva, of Nashua, NH; her brother Edward Darragh and his wife, Isa, of Hanover, PA; and several nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 4-7pm at the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home, 24 Worthen St., Chelmsford. Her funeral services and interment will be held privately.