By Geena Monahan
For the North Star Reporter
Elaine St. Martin, lifelong resident of North Attleborough and one of five women who inspired the movie “80 for Brady,” died on Monday, March 3, at the age of 97.
While gaining national notoriety from the film, St. Martin has been well-known in North Attleborough for decades through her many commitments to the town and overall love for football.
St. Martin spent years volunteering at Sturdy Memorial Hospital, serving on the hospital’s board of trustees and attending as many high school football games as she could. Michele Trimbach, one of St. Martin’s two daughters, recounted how much her mother loved the town she was born and raised in and how her love of football led to her meeting fellow “Over 80 for Brady” club member Betty Pensavalle.
In 1950, St. Martin saw Pensavalle — whose husband Conrad was the high school football coach at the time — sitting in the stands and introduced herself. She invited Pensavalle to dinner the following Saturday and, as Trimbach puts it, the rest was history.
“They were best friends until the end,” said Trimbach. “They spoke every day on the phone. About a week ago, my mother wasn’t feeling up to talking on the phone, but still asked me and my sister to call Betty to tell her she loved her, and couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”
Meeting the rest of the Brady club
Over the course of their 75-year friendship, the pair met Claire Boardman, Anita Riccio and Pat Marx, creating a club that never missed a Patriots game and took turns hosting game day hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. The idea for an “Over 80 for Brady” T-shirt came to life, followed by one of Pensavalle’s grandsons, who works in the Los Angeles film industry, making the connection with Tom Brady’s agent to get a movie in the works.
“It was very exciting for these ladies, because it was just amazing to think this would be happening at this stage in their life,” said Trimbach. “When the movie came out, we had our own private showing at the movie theater at Gillette Stadium for all of our family members to attend. They were so excited, and they got the royal treatment.”
A town commitment
While St. Martin was experiencing her national fame, she never let her love and dedication to North Attleborough fall to the back burner. In partnership with the Christopher J. Cornetta Foundation, a screening of “80 for Brady” was held in 2023 to raise funds for Leo Larocque, a local North Attleborough Junior Football League player who was fighting bone cancer for a second time. Trimbach recounted how special this day was for her mother, as well as the close relationship she and Pensavalle developed with Larocque in the years before he died at the end of 2024.
“When my mom passed, I had a message from Leo’s mom saying how nice my mom was to Leo, and how Leo just thought the world of my mom and Betty,” said Trimbach.
Meeting her hero
St. Martin was able to celebrate her love for Brady one last time in June of 2024, when she was invited to his Hall of Fame induction at Gillette Stadium. Trimbach recounts getting her mom all dressed up for the event, where she was able to walk the red carpet and sit up close and personal to Brady, amongst current and former Patriot players such as Drew Bledsoe, Rob Gronkowski and Willie McGinest.
“She had pictures taken with so many people and she and Betty were on the Jumbotron,” said Trimbach. “Tom came over and met them and spent about 10 minutes talking and taking pictures. That was both of their dreams, to meet Brady.”
Trimbach continued, “It was truly an amazing evening for my mom. I thought she would be tired, so I said to her around 10 o’clock ‘Do you want to leave?’ and she said ‘Oh no, I want to stay until the end.’ I didn’t get her back to the nursing home until around 11:30 p.m.”
St. Martin passed her love of football and support of North Attleborough’s children on to her daughter, who has been involved in the North Attleboro Junior Football and Cheer League for over 35 years and serves as vice president. Trimbach called the “80 for Brady” film a tribute to the power of friendship, and remarked on how special it is to be able to keep the memory of her mom alive.
“No matter where we go, if we bring up my 97-year-old mom being famous, as soon as we tell them my mom is one of the ‘80 for Brady’ ladies, they just go crazy,” Trimbach said.
Since her mother’s death, Trimbach has received countless calls from people sharing stories about the impact her mom had on them, including her impressive cooking skills and ability to give the best advice. In her final days, every single one of St. Martin’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren surrounded her, whether it be in-person or through FaceTime for those who live further away, something Trimbach said helped her mom be at peace and feel loved up until the very end.
“She was amazing. She was the most giving person and had the most amazing attitude. She was surrounded by family until the very end. She would have done anything for anyone; she was a good friend, mother, grandmother, you name it. She’s going to be missed.”
St. Martin’s wake will be held on Monday, March 10, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sperry-McHoul-Pichi Funeral Home, located at 15 Grove St. in North Attleborough. A funeral will follow on Tuesday, March 11, at 9 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 14 Park St., North Attleborough, where St. Martin and her late husband of 58 years, Robert, were married.
