Obituaries 10-05-2023

Theresa M. O’Driscoll

September 13, 1927 – September 27, 2023

Relatives and friends attended visiting hours on Monday, Oct. 2nd at the Welsh Funeral Home for Theresa M. O’Driscoll, 96, who passed away on Wednesday, September 27.  Her funeral was conducted from the funeral home on Tuesday, October 3rd immediately followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 670 Washington Ave., Revere. Services concluded with interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

Born and raised in Chelsea, a beloved daughter of the late Emil and Josephine (Gaudett) Arsenault, Theresa was a lifelong resident of Chelsea, attended Our Lady of the Assumption Parochial School and graduated from Chelsea High School in 1945.  

She married John T. O’Driscoll, Sr. and together raised two sons.  Theresa was passionately devoted to home and family.

She also worked for New England Telephone and Telegraph as a telephone operator at the Chelsea Switchboard Office.  She was a talented seamstress and was a much sought after Home Seamstress, fashioning custom furniture slip covers. 

A deeply devoted Catholic, she was a lifelong parishioner of the former Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, where she volunteered her time and talents making homemade lollipops for the Annual Church Bazaar and tap dancing in the many Minstrel Shows at the Church.   She also enjoyed square dancing at the Chelsea French Club with her husband, and in her later years, while receiving supportive care in local nursing homes, she taught dancing to staff members.  

Theresa was predeceased by her husband, John T. O’Driscoll, Sr. and siblings: Bernice DeRoche, Eva M. Polito, Dorothy LeGere, Marie Garrett, Noel, Tilmon, Lawrence, and Edward Arsenault.   

She is survived by her loving and caring sons and their spouses; John T. O’Driscoll, Jr. and his wife, Patricia of Center Ossipee, NH, and Richard P. O’Driscoll and his wife, Peg of Chelsea.  She was the cherished grandmother of Sean O’Driscoll and his wife, Michèle of Belgium and Kevin O’Driscoll and his wife, Amber of No. Reading; the adoring great-grandmother of Abigal, Alicia, Aberdeen and Aaron O’Driscoll, and Mikaela, Dylan, and Delaney O’Driscoll; dear sister of Doris Doucette of Reading, Lorraine Barnacle of Missouri and Marguerite Perrazzo of North Carolina.  She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, extended family members and friends.  

Should friends desire, contributions in her name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts Chapter, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd., Waltham, MA 02452  www.Alz.org/donate

For online guest book or to send expressions of sympathy, please visit: www.WelshFH.com.

John F. Fothergill

Retired Merchant Marine and Long Time Chelsea Soldiers Home Employee

John F. Fothergill, 78, of Chelsea passed away on September 25th after a brief illness.

John served in the United States Navy. After discharge from the Navy, he joined the Merchant Marines. He also worked at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea for many years.

John was predeceased by his parents, the late Chelsea Police Captain Edward and Margaret Fothergill. He was also predeceased by his siblings: Michael Cryan, Laureen Quinlan, Meri Crowley, Richard Fothergill and Paul Fothergill. He is survived by his sister, Deborah McIvor.

John will be dearly missed by his many nieces and nephews: Michael, Elizabeth (Wilber) and Stephen Cryan, Edward Quinlan, Kara (Pizzelli), Amy and Julie Fothergill, Richard, Elizabeth (Rzasa) and Ashley (Budnick) Bliss.

Services for John are private. Inurnment will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Carafa Family Funeral Home in Chelsea. We encourage family and friends to visit carafafuneralhome.com to offer condolences by means of the online guest book or to send a personalized sympathy card.

Norma Siegel

Lifelong Chelsea Resident

Norma (Shapiro) Siegel, of Leonard Florence Center For Living in Chelsea, and formerly of The Jack Satter House in Revere passed away on July 31, 2023.

She was the beloved wife of the late Nathan S. Siegel and devoted mother of Bruce Siegel and wife Candace Orlando-Siegel, Barry Siegel, and Marla Siegel and her husband Kenneth Lyon. She was the loving daughter of Morris and Fannie Shapiro, dear sister of the late Phillip Shapiro, Ethel Hirshberg, Mary Black, Jennie Razin and Ruth Shapiro, loving grandmother of Jonathan Siegel, and great grandmother to Ayden Siegel. Funeral services were held at the Torf Funeral Chapel on  August 3. Interment was in Danvers. Donations in Norma’s memory may be made to Congregation 420, c/o Jack Satter House, 420 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere, MA 02151.

Ellen Butt

Lifelong Chelsea Resident

Relatives and friends are most kindly invited to attend a memorial gathering and service of remembrance on Friday, October 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Welsh Funeral Home, 718 Broadway, Chelsea for Ellen M. Butt, who passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 3rd. She was 68 years of age.

She was the beloved daughter of  the late Wm. Roy Butt and Veronica “Vera” M. (Cronin) Butt.

A lifelong resident of Chelsea, Ellen graduated from Chelsea High School in 1972 and later received her B.A. degree from University of Mass. Ellen worked for many years for the Comm. Of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health, and was recently working as a receptionist with Chelsea Jewish Life Care in Peabody. She was a charter member of the Laura Lee Women’s Club and the joined with the annual Winnisimmet Childrens Fund.

In her lifetime, Ellen enjoyed spending holidays with family and was an ardent collector of novelty miniature shoes.

In addition to her parents, Ellen was predeceased by a sister, Jane Frieden.

She was the dear sister of Marie A. Washington and her husband, Allan of Winthrop, Karen E. Butt and her wife, Cynthia Brown of Newbury and Roy W. Butt and his wife, Anna of Wakefield.  She was the cherished aunt of Elizabeth Frieden Garcia and her husband, Chris, Timothy Frieden and his wife, Tristen, Bryan Butt and Thomas Butt.

She is also survived by lifelong friends: Janet Wolleston, Diane McLaughlin, Brian Downing and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends

For directions or to send expressions of sympathy, please visit www.WelshFH.com.

George Joseph Brown

February 15, 1934 – October 3, 2023

George Joseph “Papa” Brown, 89, of Lowell, formerly of Chelsea, a USMC Veteran 1952-1964, passed peacefully at home.

A retired Fire Alarm Operator for the City of Chelsea, he was on duty the morning of the Great Fire of 1973 and took great pride in reliving that memory with family and friends.

The beloved and devoted husband for 38 years of the late Marlene (Wright) Brown and the son of the late James E. and Margaret (Rudd) Brown, Sr., he is survived by his loving daughters, Julie A. Ferreira and her husband, Mark of Tewksbury and Kelly B. Gosse and her husband, John of Lowell; his grandchildren, Taylor Olivia Bellavia and Eric Brady Bellavia and by his feline buddy, Lucky. He will join his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett after missing her for 19 years. Private services will be held.

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