Folsom Funeral Service

William Michael Finn, a longtime resident of Dedham, died Monday, August 26, 2019 at the Charlwell Nursing Home in Norwood.  He was 90.  William was born June 1, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of John and Mary Delia (Donaughue) Finn.  He earned his Bachelor Degree from Boston College before being inducted into the US Army where he served as a Sergeant in the Medical Company of the 38th Infantry Regiment in Korea for 16 months until his Honorable Discharge in 1953.  William worked as a chemist and inventor for the Dow Chemical Company.  He was a member of the Boston College Alumni Association, the American Chemical Society, and was a major fan of the Boston Red Sox.  William was the husband of the late Claire I. (Doyle) Finn, and the brother of the late Thomas Finn, the late Josephine Venuti, and the late Frances Thomas.  He is survived by his brother, John Finn of Boston; his sister, Kathleen Ferazine of Phoenix, Arizona; and many nieces and nephews.  Visitation with his family will be held Thursday, August 29th from 8 to 9 am at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton Street, Dedham followed by a funeral service in the funeral home at 9 o clock.  Interment in the Maine Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery on Civic Center Drive in Augusta Maine will be held Thursday at 1 pm. 

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Jean Natalie (Jordan) Barrett, a lifelong resident of Dedham, died Sunday, August 18, 2019 at the Ellis Nursing Home in Norwood.  She was 96.  Jean was born June 30, 1923 in Dedham, Massachusetts, the last surviving child of Percy Olive and Mary Frances (Curley) Jordan.  She was a graduate of Dedham High School and worked for 8 years in the office at Allis-Chalmers in Hyde Park.  Jean was the wife of the late Norman Roskruge Barrett who predeceased her in 2014, and the sister of the late Albert Jordan, Edward William Jordan, Paul Jordan, Marguerite Sutton, and Evelyn Connolly.  She is survived by her two daughters, Linda Barrett Bowser of Dedham, Nancy Barrett King of Upper Arlington, Ohio; her son, William Norman Barrett of Westwood; her three grandchildren, Caroline King Willson, Jordan R. King, and Alexander W. Barrett; and her three great grandchildren, Charles, Margaret and Peter.  Visiting hours will be held Friday, August 23rd from 2-4 & 7-9 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton Street, Dedham.  Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home Saturday starting at 8 and and proceed with us to St. Susanna’s Church, 262 Needham Street , Dedham for her funeral mass at 9 o clock.  Interment will follow in Brookdale Cemetery in Dedham

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Leonard L. “Lenny” Cropper, of West Roxbury passed away at his home on August 17, 2019.  He was 75 years old.  Lenny was the son of Charles and Helen (Brown) Cropper, and was the dear brother of Ann Cropper of Dedham and Charles Cropper of Franklin. Also survived by nephews Craig Cropper of Norwood, William Cropper of Franklin and niece Judith Fitzgerald of Sandwich, and will be missed by all of his great nieces and nephews.  Visitation for Lenny will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2019 from 9-11AM, followed by a funeral service at 11 at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton St., Dedham. Interment to follow at the Gardens of Gethsemane Cemetery, Boston. In lieu of flowers donations in Lenny’s memory to Allin Congregational Church, 683 High St., Dedham would be appreciated. 

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Sylvia Ann (Hickey) Gonski, a longtime resident of Dedham, died Saturday, August 10, 2019 at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln.  She was 82.  Sylvia was born August 22, 1936 at the Norwood Hospital in Norwood, a daughter of John Gard and Ann (Adzima) Hickey.  She graduated from Dedham High School and worked in the Deposit Services Department of Baybank.  Sylvia is survived by her husband Chester Robert Gonski; her daughter, Christine A. Gonski of Dedham; her four sons, Steven R. Gonski of Dedham, Richard M. Gonski of Dedham, John J. Gonski of Norwood, and Gregory M. Gonski of Norwood; her four grandchildren, Deborah L. Gonski, Jonathan M. Gonski, Steven J. Gonski, and Kristin M. Geyer; and her three sisters, Juanita Grzyb of Dedham, Diane Watson of Walpole, and Gail Richmond, and her husband Larry, of Plymouth.  She was the sister of the late John Gard Hickey Jr.  Visiting hours will be held Thursday, August 15th from 4 to 8 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton Street, Dedham.  Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home Friday starting at 9 am and proceed with us to St. Mary’s Church, 420 High St, Dedham for her funeral mass at 10 o clock.  Interment will follow in Brookdale Cemetery, Dedham.

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Alayne Barbara (Clark) Burnham, a resident of Plainville, died Sunday, August 4, 2019 at the Maples Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Wrentham.  She was 89.  Alayne was born September 10, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, a daughter of Joseph Howard and Elizabeth (Steinberg) Clark.  She was a graduate of Hyde Park High School.  Alayne was the beloved wife of Elmer Arthur “Bud” Burnham and the dear mother of Ken Burnham, and his wife Sally, of Cumberland, Rhode Island; the loving grandmother of Korrina Bucci, and her husband Jeremy, of South Deerfield, and Jillian Deneu, and her husband Frank, of Dracut; and the sister of Marcia Chalmers, and her husband Robert, of Bristol, Rhode Island, and the late Joseph Clark, and his wife Doris, of Hadley, Massachusetts.  Private funeral services and interment in Fairview Cemetery in Hyde park were held Saturday, August 10, 2019.  In lieu of flowers donations to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, 290 Summer Street, Yarmouthport, MA 02675, or to the American Heart Association, PO Box 417005, Boston, Ma 02241 would be appreciated. 

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Jessica Nguyen Davidson, caring friend, international traveler, committed believer in Christ, and beloved family member passed away unexpectedly on Monday, August 5, 2019 at the age of 33. She was a selfless giver of herself to so many others. Born May 11, 1986, Jessica moved to Westwood MA at the age of two as a foster child to later be adopted when she was four by Reverend Robert “Bob” and Marilyn Davidson currently of Norwood MA and formerly of Westwood MA. A graduate of Westwood High School (2004), Jessica completed a bachelor’s degree from Houghton College in Houghton NY (2008) and a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis (2012), later attaining the certification of Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). Her professional endeavors were almost exclusively with non-profits as she devoted herself to City Year (Boston MA), three years in the Peace Corps (deployment to Macedonia in Eastern Europe), and most recently as a counselor at the Institute for Health and Recovery (Boston MA). She spent additional time overseas via missions’ trips to Peru and Thailand.

Her passion for art and nature is immortalized by multiple murals in the greater Boston area and Macedonia as well as countless memories at Cape Cod. She was deeply connected to church communities including her most recent involvement with Aletheia Church of Cambridge MA.

Jessica is survived by parents Bob and Marilyn Davidson (Norwood MA); siblings Jonathan (and Allison) Davidson with children Mackenzie and Scott of Allentown PA, Christopher (and Jenn) Davidson of Framingham MA, Ashley Davidson (with Dylan Tremblay) with child Delylah of Taunton MA, and Danielle (and George) Hairston with children Brooklyn, Marlyn, and Christian of Forestdale MA. Extended family includes grandmothers Elsie Blackie & Mary Davidson; eight aunts and uncles; plus many cousins & the children of her cousins. Jessica was predeceased by grandfathers Edmund Davidson & John Blackie, cousin Steven Montalbano, and cousin’s son Tyler Willhite.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Jessica’s church, Aletheia Church, where she passionately served can be made at www.aletheia.org/give, scrolling to “In Memory Jessica Davidson”. Alternately, a gift can be mailed to the church at Aletheia Church, 820 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02139 referencing “Jessica Davidson”.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Aletheia Church where Jessica worshiped, at 1:30pm on Sunday, August 11, 2019. Aletheia Church meets at the Cambridge YMCA at 820 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02139. Light refreshments will be provided after the service.

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Spiros Xenos, a resident of West Roxbury, passed away on August 4, 2019 at the age of 85.  Born in Pirgos, Greece, he was the son of Nicholas and Angela (Douzas) Xenos.  Spiros was the beloved husband of the late Rose (Korakas) and brother of Theodora Panagopoulos also of West Roxbury and uncle of Nikoloas Xenos of Whitestone, New York. 

Visitation will be on Thursday, August 8, 2019 from 7 to 9 PM at the Folsom Funeral Home, 63 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale.  The funeral will begin at 9:00AM on Friday, August 9, 2019 from the funeral home then process to St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church, 39 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale for a 10:00AM service.  Interment will be in Forest Hills Cemetery.

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Joan M. (O’Sullivan) Robinette, of Hyde Park, passed away on August 3, 2019, with her family by her side.  She was the Beloved wife of the late William R. Robinette,  and the dear mother of William J. of England, Thomas and his wife Diane of Dorchester, Lisa F. Gaine of Weymouth, and Steve E. and his wife Sofia of IL. Loving grandmother to Melissa & Nicholas Robinette, Ashley & Bryttany Gaine, and Liam & Lydia Robinette. Visiting hours for Joan will be held on Friday, August 9, 2019, from 4-7 PM, at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton St., DEDHAM. Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home on Saturday morning at 9AM, and proceed to St. Anne Church, 82 W. Milton St., Hyde Park, for her Funeral Mass at 10AM. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joan’s memory may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284.

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On August 1, 2019  Laurie Simone Lohse passed away surrounded by her family.  Born December 18, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, she was the proud mother of Katherine Simone of High Point, North Carolina, and Ethan Lohse of Westwood. She was the cherished daughter of Mianne Beigbeder Simone Edwards and the late Captain William S. Simone, ASMC. Laurie was the loving sister of Julie Simone Corda and favorite aunt of Jason and Matthew Corda.  She will be missed by several aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.  Though a 34 year resident of MA, she spent her early years in CA, NC, and 15 years in NJ where she graduated high school in 1985.  Laurie received her B.A. from Mass College of Art in Boston.  Laurie always had a smile and a kind word for friends and strangers.  She loved her CrossFit Craic gym and had a soft spot for sloths.  Family and friends will gather to celebrate her life on August 16, 2019 at Victory Grill and Sports Bar, 233 Elm St., Dedham, Ma from 7 to 10 pm.  A memorial service will be held in NJ at a date to be announced.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Old Colony Hospice and Palliative Care, 321 Mauley St., West Bridgewater, MA 02379 (oldcolonyhospice.org) or slothsanctuary.com, a rescue/rehabilitation center in Costa Rica. 

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Claire Marie Blaisdell, of Dedham, died Saturday, July 27, 2019 at Newbridge on the Charles in Dedham.  She was 78.  Claire was born May 3, 1941 in Staten Island, New York, a daughter of Clarence W. and Nellie (Greenwood) Blaisdell.  She was a former officer of the Community Boating of Charles River organization, and a former officer of the Blaisdell National Family Association.  Claire worked for five years as the Parish Administrator of the Church of Our Savior in Brookline.  She was the wife of the late Sherman Rigby, and is survived by her sister, Cynthia Ann Hauptman of New Hampshire; her nephew, Brian Lincoln of Raynham; and her nieces, Christine Lincoln of Dallas, Texas, and Dorothy Lincoln of West Roxbury.  Visiting hours will be held Friday, August 2, 2019  from 2-4 and 7-9 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton Street, Dedham.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral Saturday at 11 am at the Church of Our Savior, 25 Monmouth Street, Brookline.  Interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers donations to the New England Home for Little Wanderers, 10 Guest St., Boston, MA 02135 would be appreciated. 

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