Martha Elizabeth Dolan of Lexington, MA, an engineer who globally championed medical technologies that improved patients' lives, died December 28, 2020 at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington. The cause was complications from injuries sustained in a fall six weeks earlier. She was 64.

A single parent by choice, Martha's greatest joy was raising her children, Matthew, 25, and Ana, 24. She was fiercely devoted to her family including eight siblings, their spouses and children, dozens of aunts and uncles, scores of cousins, and a tight circle of long-time friends.

Martha was born June 13, 1956, in Jersey City, NJ, the third child of Mario and Judy (Mahon) Dolan, a physician in general practice and registered nurse. The family moved to Irvington, NY, where she graduated from Irvington High School.

Martha was a trailblazer. In 1974, when only three percent of engineers were women, she set out to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Union College, which had only recently begun to admit women. An ardent athlete at a time when opportunities were limited for women to participate in organized sports, she founded an inter-college ice hockey team at Union.

After graduation, she took a position at Proctor & Gamble in Boston, drawn in part by the city's proximity to mountains where she could pursue her lifelong passion for downhill and cross-country skiing, and Cape Cod, where she'd spent childhood summers and became an early adopter of windsurfing.

In 1983, Martha earned an MBA at Harvard Business School and then applied her engineering and business acumen to emerging lifesaving medical technologies, first at Hewlett-Packard and later at Philips Healthcare.

In a long career, she contributed to developments that broadened access to the use of the Holter heart monitor, a lifesaving device for people experiencing arrhythmias. She traveled the world developing services and solutions in the area of patient monitoring, emphasizing care that put patients first.

Her passion for helping others inspired a move to Boston Children's Hospital in 2013, where ever since she has worked in marketing to bring world-renowned services to families in need of specialized cardiac care.

Her work took her to many places, and when they were young, she included her children in her business travels, thanks to the generous support of her cherished friend and neighbor Karen Sabre, who often joined the family on international trips.

Martha turned every journey into a family learning experience, teaching her children to embrace new cultures, navigate challenges, and share the joy of new experiences. They traveled for pleasure, too, and Martha maintained strong connections with her immigrant father's large extended family in Argentina.

Among her favorite places was her eldest brother's Chatham, MA home, where she long maintained an exquisite garden and was at her happiest digging in the dirt. Always an adventurous traveler, in her twenties Martha bicycled across the United States, a 3,100-mile journey from Boston to Portland, Oregon. Her love of cycling continued throughout her life, and she commuted by bicycle year-round from Lexington to her work in Boston.

Her warm and gracious home was the hub of many gatherings both formal and impromptu. There was always room for one more at the table, a kettle of tea at the ready, and a beloved dog dozing after a long hike. A treasured aunt, Martha could be relied on to bring the latest toys — and assemble them — at countless Christmases.

Martha loved the outdoors and enjoyed sailing, canoeing, and hiking with an appreciation for nature and the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts. She never shied from a challenge, eagerly tackling the most difficult ski slopes in the Rockies or the Alps, windsurfing the wildest waves in the Hood River, or trekking volcanoes in Patagonia.

Predeceased by her parents and a brother, James, who died in infancy, Martha is survived by her children, Matthew of Medford, MA and Ana of Lexington, MA. She also leaves behind eight siblings: John (Annie Mond), of Washington, DC; Mary Dolan O'Donnell (William), of Ossining, NY; Martin Dolan (Anna Tartarnikova) of Irvington, NY; Edward, of New York, NY; Julia Brennan (Eddie), of Shelter Island, NY; Mario (Pauline), of Valencia, CA; Robert, of Aarhus, Denmark, and Annie Cundari (David Giammatteo) of Westminster, MA; and a beloved extended family including two aunts, Betty Dolan and Rosaleen Dolan, both of Buenos Aires, cousins, nieces, nephews, and cherished friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making donations in Martha's honor to the National Park Foundation ( http://give.nationalparks.org/goto/Martha_Dolan ). The family plans a private memorial for the summer.