Mary Frances Morris
Verizon Retiree Who Took Great Pride in Her Irish Heritage
Mary Frances Morris of Reading passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on May 25. She was the beloved wife of 52 years of Lawrence G. Morris.
Born in Boston the daughter of Irish immigrant parents, the late Patrick J. and Nora (O’Sullivan) Clinton, Mary was raised as an only child; however she had a younger brother, John P. Clinton, who died in infancy.
Mary was proud to have been raised and educated in Chelsea. For 24 years she worked for Verizon, formerly known as the New England Telephone Company. She was a member of the IBEW Local 2222 Boston. She was very proud that her family followed in her footsteps and are employees of Verizon also.
Mary took great pride in her Irish heritage. In her retirement years, she traveled a lot throughout the country. She also enjoyed memorable car rides to Revere Beach and York, ME with the family. She was a happy person who always viewed her glass as half full. Her family also described her as forgiving, proud, private, having a sense of humor, and who could have guessed-her favorite food was a baked potato!
In addition to her beloved husband, Larry, Mary is survived by her children who meant the world to her: Lawrence P. Morris of Reading, Brian C. Morris of Methuen and Kristen McGuinness and her husband, Richard of Stoneham. She was the loving grandmother of Brittnay, Ryan, Kaitlyn and Kevin.
A Funeral Mass celebrating her life was held on Thursday, June 1st at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Parish, Wakefield, followed by private interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.
Jacqueline Hanlon
Nurse at Chelsea Soldiers Home for 40 Years and WII Cadet Nurse
Jacqueline (Jackie) M. Hanlon, 97, of Billerica, formerly of W. Yarmouth and Chelsea, passed away peacefully on June 5.
Jacqueline was a Nurse at the Chelsea Soldiers Home for 40 years and a Cadet Nurse during WWII.
She is survived by her beloved sister, Mary Ellen Olsen of Canton and was preceded by her siblings, the late William, James, Irene and Ann (Nancy). Jackie moved to Billerica for her remaining years and lived with her nephew, Bob and Paula Halas and their family, for whom she was forever grateful. She also is survived by many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held later. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements under the care of the Sweeney Memorial Funeral Home, Billerica. www.sweeneymemorialfh.com.
Alice S. Konieczka
July 29, 1930 – June 18, 2023
Alice S. Konieczka passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 18 in the quiet surroundings of her home in Peabody. She was 92 years of age. Alice was predeceased by her loving husband of 68 years, Alfred S. Konieczka, Sr.
Alice was born in Chelsea where she grew up as the oldest child of the late Stanley and Anna Dekofski. She graduated from Chelsea High School, Class of 1948. After her graduation, Alice attended the Wilson School of Medical Technology in Boston and in June 1949 received her certification in Medical Laboratory Technique. Following graduation, Alice worked as a lab technician in Bridgeport, CT.
In 1951 she married the love of her life, Alfred, and together they began raising their family of two sons and three daughters in Chelsea. In 1972, Alice and Alfred relocated their family to Peabody, residing there for the past 51 years.
In 1975 Alice enrolled in Northeastern University’s Hinton Course for Medical Laboratory Assistants, and in 1977 received her Certificate. After graduating, she worked in the lab at Union Hospital in Lynn and later worked as a lab technician for a private medical practice, Lynnfield Medical Associates in Peabody, where she worked until her retirement in 1992.
Alice was also an active member of the PAV Post 13 Ladies Auxiliary in Chelsea. She participated in many of the past Memorial Day Parades and Post functions, and together with her husband, attended countless polka dances at the former PAV Hall in Chelsea.
Alice was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister. She was the loving mother of Alfred S. Konieczka, Jr. of Peabody, Karen Divino and her husband, Emidio of Taunton, Susan Igo and her husband, Frederick of Ayer, Paul Konieczka and his wife, Jean of Merrimack, NH, and Linda Paskaruk and her husband, Gregory of Newmarket, Ontario. She was the cherished grandmother of Matthew and his wife, Melissa Konieczka, Todd Konieczka, Jeffrey and his wife, Tatiana Divino, Kristen and her husband, Geoffrey Dutton, Corey and his wife, Shannon Konieczka, Ariane Divino, Daniel Konieczka, Scott and his wife, Brittney Konieczka, Nicholas Igo, Katarina Paskaruk, Mykola Paskaruk, Samantha Igo and Lawrence Paskaruk and adored great-grandmother of Annie, Harley, Sofia, Harper, Nathan and Emme; as well as the dear sister of the late Stanley Dekofski and surviving sibling, Kenneth Dekofski of Merrimac, MA.
Visiting Hours will be held at the Welsh Funeral Home, 718 Broadway, Chelsea on Wednesday, June 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. Relatives and friends are most kindly invited to attend. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Adelaide Church, 708 Lowell Street, Peabody on Thursday, June 29th at 11 a.m. Services will conclude with interment at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Funeral home is fully handicap accessible with ample parking opposite funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. https://www.stjude.org/give or The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, MA 02445. https://www.dana-farber.org/how-you-can-help/ways-to-give/ For online guest book or to send expressions of sympathy, please visit: www.WelshFH.com.