Alma Wahlberg, the mother of Mark and Donnie and a regular on their family’s reality show Wahlburgers, has died at 78 after reportedly battling dementia. Both Mark and Donnie honored their late mother and family matriarch on social media Sunday to share the news.
“My angel. Rest in peace,” Mark wrote alongside an Instagram photo of Alma wearing a pink suit.
Donnie went in-depth on his post, as he shared a two-minute long clip featuring memories of the pair together, entitled “For Alma.” In his caption, he wrote that he was blessed to “have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life’s path by, such an amazing woman.”
“My mom Alma’s joy for life, love and people — combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from — undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am,” Donnie shared. “I’ve often said, if you like anything about me, I got it from Alma. I say that, because it’s true.”
The New Kids on the Block singer continued by writing that his mother, who would invite her kids to sing and dance with her as she cleaned their house growing up, inspired him to pursue his dreams. The video he shared was soundtracked by “If I Could” by Regina Belle, who he had perform the song for his mother at his wedding.
“I did so because, despite the fact that my mom could do (and actually did) many of the things mentioned in that beautiful song, she still wondered if she’d done the job of being the best mother she could be,” he wrote. “Today, I say with tremendous certainty, and gratitude, she absolutely did. It’s time to rest peacefully, mom.”
Alma raised nine children—Arthur, Paul, Jim, Robert, Donnie, Mark, Michelle, Debbie and Tracey— alongside her husband Donald, who died in 2008. Her son Paul opened a restaurant in her name— Alma Nova— in Massachusetts in 2010.
