Mary Jane Walsh-Ellis, of Brookline, MA, passed away on February 23, at the age of 76, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She was predeceased by her husband Dr. F. Henry Ellis, Jr. also of Brookline, MA and brother Jack Walsh of Hingham, MA. She is survived by her sister Sheila Coakley of Westwood, MA, son Michael Ellis of Mill Valley, CA and his wife Meghan Ellis. Mary Jane was a grandmother of three; Henry Ellis, George Ellis and Grace Ellis, all of Mill Valley, CA.
Mary Jane was born in Quincy, MA to John Walsh and Loretta (McPeck) Walsh. She attended Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, MA and St. Elizabeth’s School of Nursing in Boston. Mary Jane then began a long career in nursing. After graduating from St. Elizabeth’s School of Nursing, Mary Jane worked at various hospitals in Massachusetts, including McLean Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and was head operating room nurse at Faulkner Hospital. An avid traveler, she also worked as a nurse while living in San Francisco and Barcelona. After becoming a mother, Mary Jane devoted her time to her son, as well as non-profit work, and completed a part-time MBA program at Babson College. She finished her career as a project coordinator at Management Sciences for Health in Brookline, MA.
Mary Jane was adored by her family, friends and former colleagues. Her quick wit and sense of humor brought smiles to those around her. As a lifelong care-giver she brought comfort and aid to those closest to her, as well as those in her professional care. In her final years, Mary Jane became a recipient of that same care as a resident of Newbridge on the Charles where she was blessed to be taken care of by wonderful nurses and staff.
Mary Emlen (Lowell) Wheeler, a longtime resident of Westwood, died Monday, February 15 2021. She was 95. Emlen was born December 14, 1925 in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the seven children of Ralph Emerson and Charlotte L. (Loring) Lowell. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in New York and her Master’s degree from Simmons University in Boston. She worked as a social worker for SNARC in Westwood. Emlen was the beloved wife of the late James Grew Wheeler (the former longtime Moderator for the Town of Westwood) and the dear mother of James Grew Jr., and his wife Catherine, of East Burke, VT, Mary Emlen Anderson, and her husband John, of Wenham, William Hooper Wheeler, and his wife Elleo N Y, of Nahant, and Jonathan Lowell Wheeler, and his spouse John Iarussi, of Boston. She was the proud grandmother of Erin Wheeler Zimbler, and her husband Mattitiyahu, Emily Q. Wheeler, Jonathan R. Anderson, and his friend Rose, William Anderson, and his wife Jessica, Trevor J. Wheeler, and Trachita Wheeler. She was the great grandmother of Alexander James Anderson, and Isabelle Grace Anderson, and the sister of Ralph Lowell Jr., James H. Lowell 2nd, Lucy Grimm, and the late Charlotte Lowell, the late John Lowell, and the late Susan Wales. Services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers donations to {to be determined} would be appreciated.
Dorothy Mae Nietzel, 89, resident of Walpole for 24 years, formerly of Dedham, passed away Monday, February 22, 2021 at her home.
Born May 15, 1931, Dorothy was the daughter of Henry and Minnie Dahlquist. She was raised in Dorchester by her parents, her Uncle Al and her Grandmother Elizabeth. After graduating from Dorchester High School, she proudly worked as a secretary for Salada Tea Company and eventually at Lechmere. In 1951, she married the love of her life, Oscar Nietzel, and they enjoyed 58 years together until his passing in 2010. She was deeply devoted to him and to all of her family and loved ones. She will be remembered for being an exceptionally loving and caring person to all she met.
Dorothy was a member of Allin Congregational Church in Dedham. Throughout her life she also participated in several clubs. She was a member of Contentment Chapter of the Order of The Eastern Star, Dedham DeMolay Mothers’ Club and the Fairbanks Garden Club. She was proud of her Swedish heritage and traditions, celebrating with and passing them on to her grandchildren.
Arts and crafts were one of Dorothy’s greatest passions. She enjoyed crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, ceramics, craft painting, flower arranging, decorating and more. In her later years she added coloring books and puzzles to her repertoire. While known as Dorothy, she preferred being called Nana, as she cherished her time spent with her granddaughters, Nicole and Andrea. Even her loyal companion and grand-dog Koki recognized the command, “Go to Nana,” and would sit faithfully by Nana’s side, wherever she was. Her other grand-dog, Mochi would occasionally join in the fun.
Dorothy is survived by her two sons, Steven and his wife Denise, of Walpole and Mark and his wife Karen, of Franklin; two granddaughters, Nicole Nietzel and Andrea Nietzel both of Franklin; dear cousins, Ruth McCue and Barbara Mahn; brother & sister-in-law, Bob and Barbara Payne, and sister-in-law Helen Deatcher, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Dorothy’s memorial and burial services will be private. She will be interred at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester.
Donations to the VNA Hospice of Needham, 254 2nd Avenue #200, Needham, MA 02494, in lieu of flowers would be appreciated.
Kenneth John DeBerardinis, a longtime resident of Hyde Park, died Monday, February 15, 2021 at the Milton Hospital. He was 76. Kenneth was born May 7, 1944 in Norwood, Massachusetts, a son of Anthony Richard DeBerardinis and Ida (Langione) DeBerardinis. He graduated from Dedham High School and served in the US Air Force in 1963. Kenneth worked as a truck driver for Todesca and Sons, Golden and Sons, and then for the Town of Dedham from where he retired. He was a member of the American Legion Post 18 of Dedham. Kenneth is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann (Panaioli) DeBerardinis; his sons, Kenneth J. Jr., Joseph, and Stephen; his two daughters, Laura and Dawn DeBerardinis; his brother, Anthony R. Jr; and his sister, Mary Collins. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren. Visiting hours will be held Monday, February 22nd from 4 to 8 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton Street, Dedham. Relatives and friends will gather at the funeral home, Tuesday starting at 9:30 am and proceed with us to St. Anne’s Church, 90 West Milton Street, Hyde Park for his Funeral Mass at 10:30 am. Interment with military honors will follow in Fairview Cemetery, Hyde Park.
Barbara Elvira (Hall) Hamlin, a lifelong resident of Norwood, died Monday, February 15, 2021 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She was 92. Barbara was born March 30, 1928 in Walpole, Massachusetts, the only child of James Cavers and Mary Ada (Butterfield) Hall. She graduated from Norwood High School and worked as a cafeteria worker and librarian at Factory Mutual (now FM Global) in Norwood and also worked at McDonalds and Lechmere. Barbara was a Rainbow Girl in her youth and was an active member of the United Church of Norwood where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and was a former head of the Women’s Guild at the church. Barbara was the wife for 54 years of the late Donald Geoffrey Hamlin Sr., and the mother of the late Donald G. Hamlin Jr. She is survived by her two daughters, Nancy E. Jones, and her husband Eric, and Sandra J. Savage, and her husband Andrew; her three grandchildren, Jessica L. Savage, Dorothy E. Cook, and Melissa A. Savage; and her daughter-in-law Lori Hamlin. Due to covid restrictions services and interment in Highland Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers Barbara’s family is asking that donations in her name be made to the Norwood Circle of Hope, PO Box 421, Norwood, MA 02062.
David P. Hodgdon, a resident of Randolph passed away on Febuary 3, 2021 at the age of 78. Born in Norwood, MA he was the son of John D. and Margaret E. (Stubbs) Hodgdon. David was the founder and executive director of Blue Hills Adventures and Quarry Museum where he was responsible for the curriculum and education. In addition, he was the founder of Nordic Ski Patrol. He is survived by his sister Jean M. Hudson and her husband Tom of Woodland Park, Colorado, his nephew Col. John L. Hudson, Ret. and his wife Carolyn of Elkhorn, Nebraska, his niece Kathryn Harmon and her husband Matthew of Warsaw, Indiana, grandnephews; Jon, Jake, Daniel, William, Josh and grandniece Elisabeth and his longtime friend Judy Clapp of Randolph, MA and Florida. Services will be scheduled at a later date. Donations in David’s memory may be made to Friends of the Blue Hills, PO Box 416, Milton, MA 02186 (friendsofthe bluehills.org) or to American Heart Association, PO Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005
Gary Howard Shaw, a resident of Boston, died Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at his apartment in Boston. He was 64. Gary was October 23, 1956 in San Bernadino, California, one of the four children of Aldelbert Augustus and Marjorie Jean (McDaniel) Shaw. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in economics and business and worked as a financial advisor, and later in security. Gary is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth T. Shaw of Mashpee, and his son, Mason T. Shaw of Palm Desert, California. He is also survived by his sister, Linda Kowalkowski of Florida, and two brothers, John and Steven Shaw, both of California. Services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers donations to the Friends of the Arnold Arboretum, PO Box 419209, Boston, MA 02241-9209 would be appreciated.
Victoria (Weaver) Bethoney, a resident of Hyde Park, died Monday, February 1, 2021 at the Faulkner Hospital in Boston after a brief illness. She was 70. Victoria was born June 10, 1950 in Morristown, New Jersey, one of the nine children of Kenneth and Virginia Mae (Shoulders) Weaver. She is survived by the love of her life, Dominic Ciavola of Hyde Park; her three sons, Andrew Bethoney of Boston, Robert Ursini, and his fiance Tiffany Desper, of Providence, Rhode Island, and Thomas Ursini; her three daughters, Tonia Barie, and her husband Michael, of Hanson, Pamela Gordon, and her husband Charles, of Dover, New Hampshire, and Selena Bethoney of Fall River; her seven grandchildren, Korey Dean, Michael Watson, Andrew Bethoney, Nicholas Barie, Seth Ursini, Nolan Desper, and Lilian Desper; her sister, Ruth Ann Hoszko; and her five brothers, Kenneth, Timothy, Thomas, Donald, and Douw Weaver. Victoria was the sister of the late George Weaver, and the late Robert Weaver. Services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers donations to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114 would be appreciated.
George Nelson Lester III, a resident of Westwood since 1959, died Thursday, January 28, 2021 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Needham. He was 92. George was born April 7, 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia, the only son of George N. Lester Jr. and Katherine Vaughan Lester. He grew up in Atlanta next to Emory University, and graduated from Druid Hills High School in Atlanta with the Class of 1945. He had a younger sister Kitsy. George is a WWII veteran, having enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17 immediately after finishing high school in 1945. He passed a test to enter Navy electronics school, and attended boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois Naval Training Station. While there, the War in the Pacific ended. George was then assigned to the Charleston Naval Base in Charleston, South Carolina, where he served honorably until discharge in 1946. George then attended Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology), where he earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree in 1950. He went on to a long and rewarding career in electrical engineering, starting with the Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. where he was employed from 1950 to 1973, almost all of that time in the Power Circuit Breaker Division Plant in Hyde Park. The job also included significant time at the Allis-Chalmers manufacturing operations in Milwaukee, so George gained a love for that city as well. As a General Engineer with Allis-Chalmers, he worked in application, design and all types of testing. In 1973 he joined Charles T. Main, Inc. Engineers in Boston, where he worked on a number of HV and EHV power transmission and substation projects for clients in the US and overseas conducting switching transient and equipment application and evaluation studies. In 1985 he joined Boston Edison in the Substation Design Division and worked in a number of substation upgrade projects, until retirement in February 1996. George was based in Boston for his whole career, in Hyde Park with Allis-Chalmers and at the Prudential Center from 1973 on, with Chas. T. Main and Edison. Beginning in 1960, George participated in national standards committees of ANSI, IEEE and NEMA that were developing and refining standards for high voltage circuit breakers. He served as member and Chairman of a number of working groups of the PES (IEEE Power Engineering Society) including the Switchgear Committee and High Voltage Circuit Breaker Subcommittee. In the Boston Chapter of the IEEE PES he worked with the Education Committee and served as Chapter Treasurer. In 1994 he received the Laurence F. Cleveland Service Award from the Boston PES chapter. He became a Life Fellow of the IEEE in 1983, honored “For contributions to the standardization, design, and application of high-voltage power circuit breakers and to the understanding of transient switching of capacitor banks.” George traveled to many interesting US and international destinations for engineering projects and collaborations throughout the 1950s – 1980s including the UK for a year on exchange in 1951-52 (where he witnessed the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II), The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Iran and Argentina, bringing back fascinating stories and photographs. On April 14, 1956 he married Virginia Marie Bowen of Chickamauga, Georgia, after a romantic courtship that included visits between Georgia and Massachusetts. They lived in Canton initially. Then after the birth of their first son George in 1958, moved into a new house on Oak Street in Westwood in 1959 where they went on to raise a family and stay active in the community for the next 60+ years and where George was still living to the present. Oak Street was just a dirt road In the 1950s, but in the 1960s and 70s became a happy neighborhood bustling with young families and children, centered around the new Martha Jones Elementary School that opened in 1968. Their second son Albert was born in 1960. George actively participated in school and youth activities with George and Albert, particularly including leadership in scouting with Pack 504 and Troop 3. The family enjoyed summer vacations to Cape Cod, where George taught young George and Albert how to fish, and to visit family in Georgia. Family road trips included historical sites and national parks. After his son Albert, an aspiring teacher, was killed in a bicycling event by a teen drunk driver in 1992, George and Virginia spent many years active in speaking to high school and first offender settings across New England about the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving. George also testified at the State House for reform in driver safety laws. They were involved in MADD and related advocacy and victim support groups. More recently George was very active with PIETA, a bereavement support group for parents who have suffered the loss of a child of any age, based in Walpole. George will be dearly missed by his grandsons Ben and Jake. Growing up in Medfield with George and Virginia close by, they enjoyed having George regularly attend school, scouting and athletic events, and frequent family dinners and fun activities. Ben and Jake particularly appreciated his help in science projects that involved electricity, including a light switch display that was designed to teach the difference between parallel and series circuits. They also remember his “granddad jokes” like asking if they wanted ketchup on their ice cream after dinner. Photography was one of George’s hobbies. He had quite a collection of camera and darkroom equipment, and fascinating historical pictures he had taken, including of Winston Churchill in London and of Fidel Castro when he stopped at Rt. 128 train station in Westwood on a US tour in 1959, which was published in the Boston Globe after Castro’s death in 2016. George remained active in Westwood community service right into his 90’s. He was an appointed member of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee for the Town of Westwood, a town committee charged with planning ways to help make Westwood a more “walkable” and “bikeable” community. He was a fixture at the committee’s table for Westwood Day with a creative electronic quiz board that showed off locations in town where bike and pedestrian friendly improvements had been made. Participating in a strong church community with regular worship was an important part of George’s life. He and Virginia were active members of the First Baptist Church of Westwood. George served as a Deacon and was the church Moderator up to the time of his death. He enthusiastically participated in all church activities; he enjoyed all the music, and he especially loved the performances of the First Baptist Bell Ringers. He was a regular bible reader for Sunday services and always offered insightful comments along with the passage. George felt supported, loved and “at home” in the First Baptist community. George was also active with the Westwood Council on Aging. George was the husband of the late Virginia M. (Bowen) Lester who predeceased him in 2017; the father of the late Albert B. Lester; and the brother of the late Katherine “Kitsy” Mostellar. He is survived by his son, George N. Lester IV, and George IV’s wife Blanche Teyssier, of Medfield, and two grandsons, Albert Benjamin Lester II of Madison WI and Jake Whitney Lester of Hardwick VT. A graveside service with Military Honors will be held Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 1:00 PM at the New Westwood Cemetery. The public is invited to attend (but please call ahead because there is a 25 person limit) or watch by livestream at https://www.harborview.live/. In lieu of flowers, donations to the First Baptist Church, 808 High St, Westwood, MA 02090, the Friends of the Westwood Council on Aging, 60 Nahatan St., Westwood, MA 02090 or the Friends of the Westwood Public Library, 660 High St, Westwood, MA 02090 would be appreciated.
Maria (Thieme) Nocito, 84, a resident of Philadelphia for over 45 years, died January 27 of complications from a stroke in Dedham, Massachusetts. She had moved to Dedham five years ago to be closer to her daughter, Dasha Layne. Maria spent her early years in the Russian enclave in Shanghai, China. Her family had fled to China during the Russian revolution. She remembered her family friends telling her that her grandfather served in the military under Czar Nicholas, so they were forced to leave. Her mother died when Maria was nine months old and her father died when she was eight. After their father’s death, she was adopted by a family friend, Anna Thieme, who earned a living as a dressmaker and seamstress. At the end of WWII, Maria and Anna spent a year in Japan before emigrating to the United States. They settled in Long Island where Anna continued to work as a seamstress fashioning fine clothing. Maria excelled at school and earned a scholarship to the State University of New York, Stonybrook. While attending college she worked as a nanny. After graduation she worked for advertising agencies in New York City. In New York she met and married George Nocito, a talented sculptor. The couple moved to George’s hometown of Philadelphia so he could earn a master’s degree in fine arts from Temple University and then to West Virginia where George was teaching at the University of West Virginia. The Nocitos returned to Philadelphia in 1969 when George became the chairman of the art department at the University of Delaware. Maria is predeceased by her husband George who died in 1980. For several years she was coordinator of international programs and in charge of membership at the Victorian Society in America in Philadelphia. Maria is survived by her daughter Dasha, her son-in-law Matthew, two grandchildren Amelia and Noah, and her brother Andrei who lives in Germany.
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