Frederick B. Lea, retired Sales Manager with Celanese Coatings, Devoe Paint Division, died on Friday, February 18. He was 95. A Westwood resident for 58 years, he and his wife, Martha Taylor Lea, have recently been living in Walpole, at New Pond Village.
Born in Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1915, Frederick moved to Hull with his large family in Nov. 1925. After graduating from Hingham High School, he matriculated at Boston University, graduating in 1937 with a B.S. in Chemistry. Designated the Augustus Howe Buck Scholar, College of Liberal Arts, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
A veteran of World War II, 1941-1945, Lea served with the U.S. Army, Medical Administrative Corps, as Company Commander, Headquarters Company, 46th Armored Medical Battalion. As Medical Supply Officer of the 4th Armored Division (“Spearhead”) of General Patton’s Third Army, Captain Lea was the 1st medical officer to enter Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and it was he who ordered the establishment of an evacuation hospital to treat the prisoners in their first hours of liberation.
Awarded a Bronze Star, Medical Combat Badge,and five campaign stars, Lea was authorized to wear the Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon and the French Fourragère.
An active 60 year member of First Parish of Westwood – United Church, Mr. Lea was moderator for numerous years and served on many boards and committees. A particular focus was mentoring youth. At schools, colleges, synagogues and churches, he spoke out against violence, anti-semitism, and racism.
Mr. Lea’s love for his extended family will be his abiding legacy. Besides Martha, his wife of 68 years, he is survived by his immediate family including his son, Jeffrey Taylor Lea of Fairfield, CT and Glen, N.H., his daughter, Lucinda Lea of Philadelphia, PA., his grand-daughter, Amanda Katherine Lea, currently of Warren, VT. and his son’s wife, Katherine Steele Lea. Additionally, he leaves two sisters, Marion Cushing of Arlington, Helen Edmunds, Huntingtown, MD, and many beloved nieces, including Bonnie and her husband Dave Blomquist of Westwood, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by sisters Jennie Jenkins, Prince Edward Island, and
Hilda Bedford of Hingham, as well as brothers Harry (in infancy), George of Arlington, and William of Hingham.
A memorial service at First Parish Church is planned for Saturday, February 26, at 2 p.m. Interment will take place in early summer at the Quaker Cemetery in North Sandwich, New Hampshire. The mountains, rivers, and lakes in and near Whiteface have always been of special importance in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Lea and their family.
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