Maureen Catherine Leahy

Maureen Catherine Leahy passed away peacefully on March 13, 2025, after a courageous battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Born on August 27, 1951, in The Bronx, NY, to the late Joseph Arthur and Margaret Mary (Malloy) Leahy, she was the beloved wife and best friend of her devoted husband, David Keith Gonda, with whom she shared over 38 wonderful years of marriage.
Maureen graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in The Bronx, NY, in 1969 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in Chemistry from Fordham University in The Bronx. She continued her academic journey at Yale University, where she received a Master of Philosophy degree in 1976 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1982 in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Her research under Nobel Laureate Thomas A. Steitz, as well as her postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Charles Radding, focused on unraveling the molecular interactions between proteins and DNA, contributing to critical advancements in understanding these complex biological mechanisms.
It was during her time at Yale that Maureen met her future husband, David. The couple moved to Boston, marrying on May 24, 1986, in the Arnold Arboretum. In 1991, they settled in Hamden, CT, where they raised their two cherished sons, Valery and Salavat Gonda.
Maureen dedicated the majority of her professional life to environmental restoration and protection. Transitioning from academic research, she embarked on a successful career in environmental consulting, where she provided technical expertise in investigating and remediating toxic chemicals released into the environment. Drawing on her strong biochemical background, Maureen initially focused on harnessing biological processes to degrade harmful substances. Later, in the final decade of her career, her attention turned to per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS)-a chemically complex group of pollutants remarkably resistant to biological degradation, also known as “forever chemicals”. Her exceptional technical expertise earned her the distinguished title of Technical Fellow at her last two companies, ERM and WSP.
Maureen found great fulfillment in collaborating with scientists, geologists, and engineers from across the globe, including regions such as the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. Her work also afforded her the opportunity to travel and connect with colleagues in Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Taiwan, and China.
Besides her husband, David, Maureen is survived by her sons, Valery Ivanovitch Gonda and Salavat Robert Gonda; her first cousins, Patricia Mary (Malloy) Splendore & her husband, Gerard, Christine Anne Malloy & her husband, Jerry Ranges, and Edward George Malloy. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Jodi Kay Gonda; her brother-in-law, John Allan Gonda & his wife, Sarah (Boyington) Gonda; her nieces, Madeleine Ranges, Catherine Splendore, and Nicole Gonda; her nephews, Jack Ranges & his wife, Lauren Secondi, Michael Splendore, Nate Gonda, and Emmett Gonda.
Additionally, Maureen is lovingly remembered by her second cousins, Virginia (Vaughan) Masucci, Paul Adam & his wife, Marcia Garabaldi, John Adam & his wife, Gail (Sherwood) Adam, Jane (Adam) DeFrancesco & her husband, Philip, Susan (Adam) Lindsley, and Joseph Adam & his wife, Robin (Gorman) Adam. She cherished the many connections she formed over the years through her passion for genealogy research, which allowed her to reconnect with long-lost second and third cousins, as well as cousins once or twice removed. Maureen took great pleasure in meeting many of them in person and corresponding with them throughout her life.
Maureen was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph A. Leahy (1983) and Margaret (Malloy) Leahy (1981); her paternal grandparents, Denis Leahy (1915) and Kate (McGarry) Leahy (1920); her maternal grandparents, Edward Joseph Malloy (1933) and Mary Agnes “Mame” (Callahan) Malloy (1957). She was also predeceased by her father- and mother-in-law, David George Gonda (2014) and Sharon Lynn (Siteman) Gonda (2016); her uncle, Edward Aloysius Malloy (1985), and his wife Dorothy (Reusch) Malloy (1976); her aunts, Elizabeth Leahy (1913), Margaret (Leahy) Burkle (1924), and Kathryn Cecilia (Leahy) Allen (1941); and an aunt and two uncles, John, Denis, and Elizabeth Leahy, who passed away as children. Additionally, Maureen was preceded by her second cousin, Joan (Vaughan) Demeo.
In honor of Maureen’s life and legacy, donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org, the National Marrow Donor Program, www.nmdp.org or the Yale Cancer Center www.yalecancercenter.org/gifts. Also, if you are between the ages of 18 and 40, please consider registering as a stem cell donor with NMDP.org. Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden in care of her Memorial Service to be held at a later date. To send a condolence to her family, see obituary at www.beecherandbennett.com.