Florence ‘Dolly’ Roche, 79
Of Peabody, formerly of Chelsea
Florence M. “Dolly” (Scuturio) Roche passed away on August 3 at the North Shore Medical Center/Union Hospital in Lynn after being stricken in her home. She was 79 years old.
A longtime Chelsea resident, she moved to Peabody eight years ago.
Born in Winchester she was the beloved daughter of the late Antonio and Sara (Polizzie) Scuturio. She grew up in Woburn and attended public schools there. She came to Chelsea as a young lady and soon married Paul Roche and raised two sons. Sadly, widowed at a young age with two sons, “Dolly” worked outside of her home to provide for her young family taking employment at American Biltrite and Sweetheart Paper factories in Chelsea. She was introduced to Leo Gallagher who became a dear friend and companion to Dolly and step father to her sons.
She was the beloved wife of the late Paul E. Roche; loving companion and devoted friend of the late Leo Gallagher; devoted mother of Paul Roche of Lowell and Thomas Roche of Peabody; cherished grandmother of Crystal, Leo and Paul Roche Jr. and Amaryllis DeJesus; adored great-grandmother of Angel DeJesus; loving sister of Agnes Getz of Peabody, Ann Maine and Nancy Griswald, both of Maine, Antonio Scuturio, Jr. of Florida, Joseph Scuturio of Billerica, Robert Scuturio of Chelsea, Thomas Scuturio of Charlestown and the late Lena Iodice, Richard and Samuel Scuturio.
Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Frank A. Welsh and Sons Funeral Home.
Edwin Vargus
Chelsea resident
Edwin Vargas of Chelsea died suddenly on July 30.
He was the father of Edward Vargas of Lynn.
Funeral arrangements were by the Ruggiero Mazzarella Memorial Home, East Boston. Burial was private.
Benjamin ‘Gramps’ Spracklin
GE and Eastern Gas retiree, known for his wonderful dancing techniques
Benjamin N. Spracklin a long time resident of Revere, formerly of Chelsea, affectionately known as “Gramps” to all, died on August 4 following a brief illness. He was 92 years old.
Born and raised in Chelsea, he attended Chelsea Schools and was a 1935 graduate of Chelsea High School. He entered the US Army in April of 1942 and served until December of 1945. He worked for the former Eastern Gas for over 20 years before beginning a 25 year career with General Electric of Lynn as a crane operator.
He was a long time member of the VFW Post 6712 of Beachmont, Revere where he was a popular and beloved personality. He was famous for his “Wonderful Dancing Techniques” and he enjoyed dancing up to and including his 90th birthday. Everyone referred to him as “Gramps” an endearment of which he was most fond.
He was the beloved husband of the late Dorothy E. (Sinopoli) who died in January of 2003; devoted father of Norman G. Spracklin and his wife, Jan, of Revere, with whom he made his home, and Paul N. Spracklin and his wife, Linda, of Windham, NH; cherished brother of Marion White of Saugus, Millie Downy of Quincy, Dorothy Powers of Billerica and Roger Spracklin of Revere; adored grandfather of Lisa and Eric C. Spracklin, both of Revere, and Jason Spracklin of Windham, NH. He is also lovingly survived by his great granddaughter, Courtney, of Billerica and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements were by the Vertuccio & Smith Home for Funerals, Revere. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Patients’ Recreation Fund at Lighthouse Nursing Care Center, 204 Proctor Ave., Revere, MA 02151.
John Moore Sr.
Of Pembroke, formerly of Chelsea
John W. “Jack” Moore, Sr. of Pembroke died on August 7 at South Shore Hospital after a long illness with his beloved family at his side. He was 75 years old.
He was born in Chelsea on February 4, 1935, the son of Vellick C. and Violet (Burden) Moore. He was raised in Chelsea and came to Pembroke in 1964 where he raised his family.
In his younger years, he was a member of the Pembroke Auxiliary Police Department and a coach of both Pembroke Youth Hockey and Girls and Boys Baseball. He was also very active in bowling leagues at the Hanson AA Bowling Alley. He was a proud member of the Phoenix Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Hanover, the Scottish Rite of Free Masonary Valley of Boston, and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Aleppo Temple of Wilmington. Mr. Moore was most happy spending time with his family and traveling with his wife in their motor home. The couple traveled to all but five states and spent the last eight winters in Florida in their motor home.
He leaves his beloved wife of 29 years, Dianna, his companion and best friend for 36 years. He was the loving father of Peggy Moore of Maryland, Deborah Rubley and her husband, Eric, of Texas and John W. Moore Jr. and his wife, Lori, of Pembroke, Michael Baird of Pembroke, James Baird and his wife, Janet, of Plymouth, Daniel Baird of Boston, Laura Baird and her partner, Lisa, of Minnesota, Patrick Baird and his wife, Wendy, of Florida, and Ernie Baird and his fiancé, Maryann, of Rockland. He was the cherished Grampa of Margaret, Kristal, Dawn and Jeremy Harps of Maryland, Ashley and John Ryan Moore of Pembroke, Michael Justin (MJ) and Nicole Baird of Pembroke, Jillian and Jessica Baird of Plymouth, Anthony, Brian and Matthew Kallberg of Minnesota, Jackson and Cole Baird of Florida and the late Peter Baird and Great Grampa of Andre and Malichai Harps; brother of Mildred Doucette and Laura Strong, both of California, Pearl and her husband, Rusty Hiltz, of Illinois, Eleanor Cobb of Reading, and the late Clayton “Bud” Moore, Marion Massey, Renee Trapp, and Leona Liljeholm. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements are by the Shepherd Funeral Home, 7 Mattakeesett St. (Rt. 14) Pembroke. A funeral service will held at the First Church in Pembroke today, Thursday, August 12 at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Pembroke Center Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Masonic Lodge, Broadway St., Hanover, MA 02339, and/or South Shore Hospital Cancer Center, Attention: Foundation, 55 Fogg Road, South Weymouth, MA 02190-2455. To offer condolences, or for directions, visit www.shepherdfuneralhome.com
Harry Goldstein
Retired owner of Louis Quality Liquor
Harry A. Goldstein, a long time resident of Winthrop, formerly of Chelsea, died on August 2 at the Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home. He was 88 years old.
He was born and educated in Chelsea and was a graduate of Chelsea High School. He was the retired owner of Louis’ Quality Liquor, Everett Avenue, Chelsea. He was a US Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. He attended the Army Air Corps War College and was a recipient of the European African Middle East Theater Ribbon, the Italian Campaign Bronze Star, and the Soldiers Medal. He was also a life member of the Winthrop Yacht Club.
He was the beloved husband of the late Roslyn (Becker) Goldstein; the devoted father of Leonard I. Goldstein and his wife, Susan, and the late Morrisa Goldstein; the dear brother of Paul Goldstein and his wife, Diane; the loving grandfather of Jeffrey and his wife, Melissa, Nathaniel and Daniel. He is also survived by one great grandchild, Isabella.
Graveside services were held at the Tifereth Israel of Everett Cemetery, Everett. Donations in his memory may be made to The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Ovarian Cancer Reserach, 10 Brookline Place, West 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445. For online guestbook. please visit the funeral home website: www.torffuneralservice.com
Michael Shea
Accountant
Michael Shea of Rowley, formerly of Lynn and Chelsea, died on August 4. He was 63 years old.
An accountant for U.S. Food Service in Peabody, he previously worked at Honeywell-Bull in Billerica.
He was the husband of Irene (Moore) Shea and brother of Mary Tibbetts of Lynn.
Funeral arrangements were by the F.S. Roberts and Son Funeral Home, Rowley. Donations in his name may be made to Camp Sunshine, 35 Acadia Rd., Casco, ME 04015, a camp for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. For information or to send condolences, please visit www.fsrobertsandson.com
Patricia Aloysius MacAskill
Longtime Administrator at the Chelsea Soldiers Home
Patricia Aloysius MacAskill of West Roxbury, died recently. She was 86 years old.
An Administrator at the Chelsea Soldiers Home for more than 35 years, she was born to Edward Raftus and Mary “Molly” (Kilroy) in Boston on June 5, 1924. She attended Notre Dame Academy, received a Bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College and earned a Masters degree from Boston University. She married Angus MacAskill in 1960 and they were together for 48 years until his death last year. Actively involved in the community, she served as a board member of the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists for 10 years and as secretary for the MOSES Credit Union for 25 years. She was a member and treasurer of the Proparvulis Club of Boston, a Catholic children’s charity, for 35 years.
She is survived by a niece, nephews, cousins and many dear friends in the Boston area.
Her Funeral will be held from the Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre St., West Roxbury today, Thursday August 12, at 9 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in The Holy Name Church at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours in the funeral home will be held this morning, Thursday, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne at 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the Proparvulis Club of Boston, mailed to: Beverly Baker, 286 Turtle Pond Parkway, Hyde Park, MA, 02136. www.lawlerfuneralhome.com
Keith Lewis, 60
Of Danvers, formerly of Chelsea
Keith R. Lewis died unexpectedly in his Danvers home on August 5. He was 60 years old.
He was the loving husband of Pamela D. (Bucklin) Lewis, with whom he shared 37 years of marriage.
Born in Chelsea on March 7, 1950, he was the son of Clifton and Daisy (Bragg) Lewis. He was raised and educated in Chelsea and was a graduate of Chelsea High School, Class of 1968. He has been a Danvers resident since 1976.
He was a realtor on the North Shore for nearly 20 years, first with Vernon A. Martin, and more recently with the Mack Realty Group. He was always the life of the party, he was a member of the Back Nine Golf League at Gannon Golf Club in Lynn, commissioner of the N.E.R.F. Fantasy Baseball League, and a member of the Lynnfield-Zetland Lodge A.F. & A.M. He was a wonderful husband and father and a loving “Pipi” to his granddaughter.
He was the loving husband of Pamela D. (Bucklin) Lewis, with whom he shared 37 years of marriage; a daughter, Melissa Stellato and her husband, Angelo, of Lowell; a son, Andrew Lewis and his wife, Pamela, of Lowell; a sister, Linda Cueny of Michigan; a brother, Clifton Lewis Jr. of Texas; his beloved granddaughter, Gianna, many nieces and nephews and a loving extended family. He was the brother of the late Lillian Mork, Barbara Kelley, Ralph Lewis, and Ronald Lewis.
Funeral arrangements were by C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers. Burial was in Wadsworth Cemetery, Danvers. Donations in his memory may be made to the Shriners Hospital, Donations Dept., 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114. www.LyonsFuneral.com
Edward Michael Kodzis
Of West Dennis, formerly of Chelsea
Edward Michael Kodzis, beloved husband of Patricia (Quigley) Kodzis of West Dennis, formerly of Chelsea and Melrose, died suddenly at Cape Cod Hospital on August 5 of causes unrelated to his three week old bypass.
“Eddie” was a graduate of St. Stanislaus School in Chelsea and Chelsea High School, Class of 1950, where he was center on the only football team never to lose to Everett. He was a proud and loyal Boston College Golden Eagle where he celebrated at his 55th reunion last year. In his fiftieth reunion yearbook, he wrote fondly of his years there and the values that guided his life that were learned from the Jesuits. Nothing gave him more pleasure than to know his oldest granddaughter, Kaitlyn, is a junior at the BC School of Nursing.
Professionally, he graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology as a Certified Gas Engineer and from The Culinary Institute in New York as a cooking specialist.
After graduating from BC, he worked for 40 years for Boston Gas becoming the director of commercial and industrial sales. He served as president of the New England Association of Gas Engineers and on the Chelsea Board of Appeals. In his final years before retirement, he was in charge of alternative energy cars and remained a champion of all forms of alternative energy. At his home on the Cape he experimented with residential applications in the form of solar lights and radios which ran on solar power. That his youngest son, Kevin, was in the recycling business gave him much satisfaction and he worked with Ed Jar in his business whenever possible continuing to promote the use of natural gas.
Foremost in his life was family. He was the devoted husband of 53 years to Pat who was his high school sweetheart and with whom he commuted to college; their time together measured 60 years during which their days apart could be counted on two hands.
As a father, he involved himself in every aspect of his children’s lives from changing diapers, to teaching them to center the football, build sand castles at the beach or ski the snowplow between his knees. He served as pack leader for cub scouts at Our Lady of Grace Church in Everett, CCD teacher for Kevin’s first communion class at Incarnation in Melrose, coach of Pop Warner, YMCA volunteer, PTO representative at Melrose High School and vocal participant in all their activities. This devotion continued with his six grandchildren when he froze in hockey arenas here and sweltered on baseball and lacrosse fields in California.
After living in Melrose for almost 35 years, he and his wife retired to West Dennis to the home he helped build in 1980. His days were filled with golf, his vegetable garden, working on projects at home and with Ed Jr. With Petrie’s help he began to master the art of the internet or digital photography and her untiring patience yielded real enjoyment for him these last five years. But, once January came, he was off to spend the winter near Kevin and his family in Southern California.
He was the son of the late Michael and Helen (Zielinski) Kodzis and brother of Joanne St. Pierre (Phil) of Peabody. He is survived by his three children, Edward M. Jr. and his wife, Cheryl, of Canton, Petrie of New York and Kevin Patrick and his wife, Lynne, of Tustin, Ca. He was the proud grandfather of Kaitlyn, Brian and Kyle of Canton and Karly, Kevin Jr., and Trevor of California. “Uncle Eddie” is also survived by 13 nieces and nephews from the McLaughlin, Hickey, Pyne and St. Pierre families in whom he took great pride. He extended to them the same love and appreciation that he gave his own children and was “Unks” to them and theirs. Their achievements and kindness to him were often the subject of conversations and he felt entitled to bragging rights for each of them.
Funeral arrangements were by the Morris, O’Connor & Blute Funeral Home, South Yarmouth. Gifts in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association , 396 Main St., Hyannis, MA 02601. For complete obituary, www.MorrisOConnorBlute.com
Marion ‘Minnie’ Glassman
Of Florida, formerly of Chelsea
Marion “Minnie” (Robinson) Glassman of Delray Beach, Fl formerly of Chelsea, died on August 3.
A life member of many charitable organizations, she is survived by her devoted husband Hyman Glassman of Delray Beach, Florida, and her loving daughter, Karen DeGaeta, and her husband, Robert, of Peabody. She was the mother of the late Jeffrey A Glassman. She also leaves her sister in law, Mildred Robinson of San Diego, CA and many nieces and nephews and extended family, Steven, Sandy, and Jaime Saxe, Lindsay, David, Ethan, and Brooke Silvestri, all of New Hampshire.
Funeral arrangements were by Stanetsky Memorial Chapel. Burial was at Sharon Memorial Park. Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County, 5300 East Ave, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33407.