Congressman Jim McGovern’s Daughter Molly Died Suddenly at 23 After Experiencing Nausea During Dinner with Friends in Italy

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern’s daughter Molly McGovern, who died suddenly in April, experienced nausea during a dinner with her friends while vacationing in Italy before her death.

The 23-year-old college student died on April 23 in Assisi, Italy, minutes after becoming nauseous while dining with friends, The Boston Globe reported in a new interview with her father published on Wednesday, May 7.

Her funeral was held Saturday, May 3, at St. Bernard’s Church in Worcester, Mass.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Molly was a student at Northeastern University in Boston, studying political science and government, with a focus on international affairs.

Just after she turned 18, Molly was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Those who knew her best said she lived her final years to the fullest. 

“She had a great 23 years, but who would have thought the last five years would be the best,” her mother, Lisa McGovern, said during Molly’s eulogy. “There were little miracles everywhere.”

Molly enjoyed traveling in recent years, visiting places like Tasmania, Australia and Rome.

Speaking with the Globe before his daughter’s funeral, Jim, 65, said that when Molly was younger, a priest asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, “And she said, ‘I want to be a cardinal,’ ” he recalled.

“She’d also be saying, ‘What’s the deal? Why can’t women be cardinals?’ ” Jim added.

At the funeral, Lisa said that her daughter’s “everyday necklace was a St. Francis medallion.”

Molly became friends with the Pelosi family as a young adult, sending California Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, cards to lift his spirits after he was assaulted in his home in 2022.

Molly and Nancy, 85, had been texting the same day she died, as they discussed the former House speaker’s plans to travel to Italy for Pope Francis’ funeral.

“I think his holiness, who was so saintly, decided he wanted another angel in heaven. And that would be Molly, because she was so good,” Nancy told Jim after his daughter’s death, per the Globe.