Ann Peterson, a lifelong resident of Dedham, died Sunday, June 14, 2020 at the Briarwood Nursing Home in Needham. She was 92. Ann was born February 19, 1928 in Dedham, Massachusetts, the daughter of Edwin Thomas and Mary Ethel (Ashnault) Peterson. She graduated from Dedham High School, earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Simmons University’s College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences, and her Master’s Degree from Boston University. Ann worked as a research chemist. She was the sister of the late John Peterson and is survived by nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held Friday, June 19, 2020 at 11 am at Brookdale Cemetery in Dedham. In lieu of flowers donations to the Simmons University College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, Attn: Jennifer Rice, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115 would be appreciated.
Blanche (Holman) Shaw, a lifelong resident of Norwood, passed away of natural causes on Friday, June 12, 2020 at the Briarwood Nursing Home in Needham. She was 102. Blanche was born October 7, 1917 in Norwood, MA, the daughter of Henry Arthur and Florence (Clarke) Holman. She graduated from Norwood High School and earned her Bachelors Degree from the University of Maine. Blanche started her teaching career in Maine, continued it in Whitinsville, MA and then spent almost 20 years teaching English in the Norwood High School, retiring in 1976. She was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star for over 75 years, both at the local level in Samoset Chapter in Norwood, and at the State level where she served as a Past Grand Matron and as the Grand Treasurer Emeritus. Blanche also enjoyed time spent at the beach in Scituate and she was a longtime member of the First Congregational Church in Norwood. Blanche was the wife of the late John Mulneaux Shaw and the sister of the late Margaret H. Finbow. She is survived by her son, Charles Henry Shaw, and his wife Virginia Rose Toole-Shaw, of Northfield; her six grandchildren, Jacob C. Shaw, and his wife Claudia, Cory T. Shaw, and his wife Jennifer, William J. Doyle, and his wife Kelly, Katie Andrews, and her husband Ted, Brandon Doyle, and his wife Cat, and Christopher Doyle; her 7 great grandchildren, Bianca, Quinn, Jack, Laurence, Drake, Brody, and Camryn; as well as her niece Mary Lou Folan, and her grandnephew, Francis R. Folan. Private interment was in Highland Cemetery, Norwood. A Celebration of her Life is being planned for the Fall. In lieu of floral donations please make your check out to Grand Chapter of MA OES (write Margaret H. Finbow Memorial Scholarship Fund in the memo line) and mail to Grand Chapter of MA OES, PO Box 600583, Newtonville, MA 02460
PINKHAM, Barbara Helen of Dedham died of complications from aspiration pneumonia on June 4, 2020 at home, with family by her side. She was 86. She was the beloved wife of the late Harlan R. (Bob) Pinkham. She was born on May 15, 1934 in Boston, the daughter of Samuel G. Smyth and Elsa (Munroe) Smyth. She grew up in Hyde Park and graduated from Hyde Park High School. In addition to raising her four children with her husband Harlan, Barbara also worked for more than twenty years as an administrative assistant at a number of corporations, including Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Cullinet Software and The William Underwood Company. Barbara was a member of Allin Congregational Church in Dedham. She enjoyed numerous crafts and a variety of physical fitness activities including walking, skiing, aerobics, and, in her later years, working out with a personal trainer until the age of 85. She is survived by her sons Richard of Harrisville, Rhode Island; and Robert, and his wife Margaret, of Needham; and Russell of Dedham; and her daughter Deborah Pinkham Brooks, and her husband David, of Brunswick, Maine; and eight grandchildren: Derek, John, Elizabeth, William, Eliza, Robert, Matthew and Jenna. She is also survived by her sister, E. Marilyn Smyth of Dedham, formerly of Ridgefield, CT; and three nieces and nephews. Visiting hours on Sunday June 14th will be from 2-4 PM at the Folsom Funeral Home, 649 High Street, WESTWOOD. In observance of COVID-19 restrictions, face coverings are required. Due to current restrictions, the funeral and interment are private. A memorial service will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Barbara’s memory to Allin Congregational Church, 683 High Street, Dedham, MA 02026
Charlene W. (Gosse) Currie, of Dedham, passed away at Norwood Hospital on June 5, 2020. She was 70 years old. Charlene was the beloved wife of 36 years to James Currie, and the loving daughter of the late Charles and Alyce (Colby) Gosse. She is the loving sister of Joan Chandler and her late husband Vernon of PA, the late William Gosse and his wife Marie of Tewksbury, Janet Smith and her husband Fred of Tewksbury, Shirley Corcoran and her husband Bill of Stoneham, the late Charles Gosse, Warren Gosse, and Beverly and Frank Gillis. She is also survived by 22 nieces and nephews and many great nieces and nephews. Visiting hours for Charlene will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2020, from 4-8PM at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton St., Dedham. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Charlene’s name may be made to Hessco Elder Services, Meals on Wheels, 1 Merchant St. #106, Sharon, MA 0206. Due to COVID regulations, all guests are expected to wear face coverings.
Beatrice Loranie (Aube) Parks, a longtime resident of Norwood, died Saturday, May 6, 2020 at the Norwood Hospital in Norwood, MA. She was 92. Beatrice was born December 28, 1927 inNew York City, New York, the daughter of Edgar and Carmaline (Reny) Aube. She worked as a bookkeeper at a diesel truck service center in Randolph, MA. She wasthe sister of Emile and Roland Aube, and is survived by her son William Dube of Earleville, Maryland. Services and interment were private.
Louise Harding Russell died peacefully on April 14, 2020 in Needham, MA. She was 74. In addition to struggling for several years with advancing dementia, several other health issues had recently arisen that were then exacerbated by complications from the Covid-19 virus. She was mercifully spared the inevitable progression of her Alzheimers.
Louise was born in Great Lakes, Illinois in 1945 on September 18th, her elder brother’s fifth birthday. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with the congenital condition of spina bifida that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Her parents, Louise Harding Russell and Henry Edwards Russell, resolved to set high expectations for her in order that she might live as normal and full a life as possible.
Until the age of thirteen Louise grew up in the Chestnut Hill area of Boston, attending Beaver Country Day School. Some of the happiest times in her life were spent with her brothers and her twenty-five first cousins at the Harding family summer home in Cataumet on Cape Cod. In 1958 her family moved to Cleveland, OH, where she completed her secondary schooling at the Laurel School in Shaker Heights. During this time, Louise succeeded in fulfilling the requirements for a driver’s license using hand controls, thereby greatly expanding her independence. Later she attended American University in Washington, DC .
After several years in California, she returned to the Boston area where she worked at various organizations including the Massachusetts Zoological Society at the Franklin Park Zoo where she assisted in fundraising. From there, in 1976, she began work as Program Coordinator in the Rehabilitation Services Department of Mclean Hospital in Belmont, MA where she directed skills assessment and a training program for psychiatric patents. In 1981 she accepted the position of Director, Patient Relations at Children’s Hospital Boston, a new office designed to respond to concerns and complaints from patients and their families, and to supervise undergraduate and graduate interns and medical students in the investigation and resolution of complaints regarding clinical care, staff attitudes, and the hospital environment.
The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) in 1990 gave rise to a new professional “field” and in 1991 Louise accepted an offer from Harvard University to oversee a newly created Accessible Education office designed to focus on the myriad needs of students with disabilities . Her duties included oversight of the administration of individualized services for then over 300 undergraduates and graduate students with physical, learning and psychiatric disabilities. She was widely recognized and respected as a pioneer in best practices for management of student disabilities programs and the creation of internal departmental policies that accorded with Federal and State laws. Louise served on many committees including as Chair of the University Disability Coordinators’ meetings, Member of the Administrative Board of Harvard College, and Officer of the national Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). She also served as a member of the board of Beaver Country Day School and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Other achievements included the completion in 1997 of a Master of Arts degree in Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and starting in 1988 nearly twenty-nine years of consulting work with Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey.
In 2007, Louise bought a home in Woodstock, VT and, after nearly twenty years at Harvard, retired there in 2010. In appreciative recognition of her many important pioneering contributions, the University chose to award her its esteemed Administrative Prize at Harvard, the only such award for administration.
For over thirty years she had a series of canine companions, often a golden retriever. Like her two brothers, she was a lifelong Red Sox fan; she named her last dog “Fenway.” Her Red Sox cap was often on her head. Once living in Woodstock, she established a wonderful network of friends some of whom enlisted her help in expanding disability access in the area. She became a regular favorite at the Farmers’ Market where each morning she’d pick up the newspaper and coffee.
Louise’s versatile humor and keen sense of mischief were ever-present, with a wit that could be sharp and biting when appropriate as well as silly and jolly, making for fun and uplifting moments. She learned naturally in her family and from her parents’ many friends that humor and laughter are necessities at all times, as much when the tide of life is low as when it is high.
One of her favorite photographs captured her with a huge smile as she alone held the large wheel of a friend’s beautiful sailboat in a windy San Francisco Bay. The look of confidence, satisfaction and joy leaves no doubt as to who was in charge of where she was going. She was the captain of her ship. And she encouraged many others how thus to be.
Louise is survived by her brother William E. “Bill” Russell and his wife, Jan, her brother Henry E. “Tim” Russell, Jr and his wife, Dianne, two nieces, three nephews, eight great nieces and nephews, and her twenty Harding first cousins whom she cherished.
There will be a celebration of Louise’s life at a time yet to be determined.
Memorial donations may be made to: Pet Partners (www.petpartners.org); Children’s Hospital Boston
(www.childrenshospital.org)
Jean Lucille Adams Henry, 73, of Malden, MA, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. Jean was born on November 27, 1946 in Berbice, Guyana, the daughter of the late Wilfred Nathaniel Adams and Beryl Lenora Adams. She was the beloved mother of Nickey Henry, Audrey Taxter, and Denise Honoroff, and the dear sister of Jewel, Ralph, Lynette “Judy”, Jemmie, Eon, Yvonne “Dolly”, Ingrid, and Wendy. Judy, her identical twin sister, lovingly called her “Jeanie.” Lucas, Chelsea, Isaiah, Joel, and Nina, her five cherished grandchildren, will miss their Granny. Jean was adored by her partner Isaac, and she was the loving Auntie to many nieces and nephews. Jean found joy and peace in cooking delicious meals for her family, taking care of her home and garden, and listening to music. Beautiful, warm, funny, and generous, Jean’s quiet spirit will be forever missed by all who cooked with her, laughed with her, gardened with her, danced with her, and were blessed to be a part of her life. Expressions of love for Jean can be made by planting something beautiful in your own garden. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that donations be made to Hebrew SeniorLife to support the dedicated healthcare workers in the Memory Unit who lovingly cared for Jean. https://give.hebrewseniorlife.org/giving Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, services will be held privately for the immediate family at the Folsom Funeral Home in Roslindale.
Irene MacEachern, a longtime resident of Westwood, died Wednesday, may 13, 2020 at the Hellenic Nursing Home in Canton. She was 95. Irene was born November 15, 1924 in Argyle, Prince Edward Island, Canada a daughter of Roderick and Margaret Christine (MacPhail) MacEachern. Irene graduated from Jamaica Plain High School and attended night school classes at Harvard and Northeastern University. She worked as an underwriter for Kimball-Gilmore Insurance Company. Irene is the dear sister of Louise McFarland of Canton, and the late Gordon Angus MacEachern, and the dear aunt of Jason and Stephen McFarland. Private interment was in the Gardens at Gethsemane Cemetery in West Roxbury, MA.
Shirleyann (Anderson) Van Splinter, 85, of Westwood, Mass., passed away May 18, 2020 after a brief illness with Covid-19. She is survived by her husband of 59 years Richard Van Splinter; two daughters, Susan Edwards and her husband Scott of Holliston, Mass., and Beth Stebbins and her husband Douglas of Westwood, Mass; six grandchildren – Matthew, Nicholas and Allison Edwards and Carley, Jack and Jason Stebbins; and her sister, Nancy Bennett of Benton, Maine.
She was the daughter of the late Knut and Ebba Anderson and the sister of the late Bertel Anderson.
Born in Brattleboro, Vt., Shirley was raised in Whitefield, Maine. She graduated from Cony High School in Augusta and earned her RN in 1955 from the Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Glen Ridge, N.J. where her mother was a graduate in 1925. Shirley was the first scholarship recipient of the Mountainside School of Nursing Alumni Association. She dedicated her professional life to nursing in the New York, New Jersey, and Boston areas.
Shirley and Richard raised their daughters in Chatham, N.J., and later lived in London, England for 11 years, where they brought their family on trips around the world. Shirley was an active member and volunteer with the Chatham United Methodist Church and Women’s Circle, the American Women’s Club in London, and the American School in London.
Shirley loved flowers, writing letters, her Swedish heritage, London and Maine. More than anything, she treasured her time with her family, whether it was cookouts at the Cape, family dinners in Westwood or Holliston, or just being with her grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.
A private memorial service will be held at Pemaquid Point, Maine, at a later date.
Memorial donations can be made in Shirley’s name to the Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association Scholarship (MHAA), 3 Canterbury Road, Boonton Twp., New Jersey 07005
It is with sadness that we announce that our dear Lillian Kerallah passed away from COVID-19 on Tuesday, May 12, with a kind hospice nurse at her side. Stratford Street United Church was ‘home’ to Lillian, who continued to sent greeting cards to her long-time friends from her bedside at Stonehedge (she never forgot Bud & Minetta’s anniversary). Nancy was Lillian’s regular visitor, bringing her gum, greeting cards, stamps, and the presence of SSUC and God. Each year, we would celebrate her birthday with her favorite Harvey Wallbanger cake (as she aged, she had to give up the cocktail for which she was famous for in her working years). Lillian found the bright side of every situation, even eating the cake the year that Enid forgot to add the baking powder into the batter. And, oh, her beloved Red Sox: the joy of their 2018 championship endured, she loved Big Papi, and stood faithfully by Alex Cora. Bob Folsom met with Lillian in 2015, to plan for this day. We will honor her wishes; we will celebrate Lillian’s life when we can gather in the Memorial Garden with her ashes. Barbara will sing and Enid will make a Harvey Wallbanger cake with ALL of the ingredients. Nancy always said that Lillian could find the best in every situation, which is another way of saying that God was a joyful presence in her life. May the Lord support us all the day long, ’til the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over. Then in God’s mercy, may He give us a safe lodging, and holy rest, and peace at the last.
Comments(4)
