Obituaries – 04/29/09

Walter Dunn, 66

Decorated Veteran

Walter J. Dunn, formerly of Marblehead, died March 24 at the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 66 years old.

Husband of the late Janice K. (Joy) (Page) Dunn, he was born in Marblehead, son of Rita E. (Rourke) Dunn of Salem and John T. Dunn, who preceded him in death.

He was raised and educated in Salem and was a graduate of Salem High School Class of 1960. An honorably discharged and decorated veteran of the US Marine Corps, he served his country from 1960 to 1964 and from 1966 to 1974. For his valor, he was awarded three Purple Heart Medals during his tours in Vietnam.

He was a member of the St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Vero Beach, Fla., the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the American Legion, all of Vero Beach.

Besides his mother, he is survived by his loving companion, Donna LoConte, of Revere; his brother, John “Jay” Dunn of Salem; and his stepchildren, Joseph Page, and his wife, Christina, and Shawn Page, all of Florida, Todd Page and his wife, Brenda, of Medford, Colleen Anderson and her husband, Doug, of Winchendon, Colette Rogers and her husband, Kip, of Marlborough, Jason Page and his wife, Jennifer, of Auburn, N.Y. and Chris Pitman and his wife, Laura, of Beverly; 12 grandchildren and his extended family and friends.

His funeral service will be held in the O’Donnell Funeral Home, 46 Washington Square (at Salem Common) Salem, Friday, May 1, at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited. Burial in will be in Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the Parkinson Association of Indian River County, 2501, 27th Avenue, Suite A-8, Vero Beach, Fl, 32960.

His online guest book is at www.legacy.com.


Exyste ‘Ed’ Thibault

Vietnam War veteran

Exyste L. “Ed” Thibault of Revere, formerly of Medford, died on April 20.

A US Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, he was the cherished son of the late Dorothy (Haynes) Whitehouse and stepson of Maurice Whitehouse of Florida; loving brother of Betty DiGregorio of Medford and Jane Stanley of Florida, and uncle of Joe DiGregorio.

A graveside service will be held at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Avenue, Bourne, on Thursday at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours have been omitted. Arrangements are by the Dello Russo Funeral Home of Medford.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent in his name to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850 or at Fisherhouse.org. For his online obituary and guest book, please visit dellorusso.net.


Mary Lou Molloy, 70

Of California, formerly of Revere

Mary Lou (Person) Molloy of Chatsworth, California, formerly of Revere and Winthrop, died on April 20. She was 70 years old.

Born in Revere, the beloved daughter of the late Olaf and Mary (Douglass) Person, she is survived by her loving husband, Francis, and her children: Douglass, Doreen, Darren, Dawn and Deanne, and nine grandchildren, all of California. She was the devoted sister of Joseph Person and his wife, Constance, of Melrose, Barbara Matarazzo and her husband, Michael, of Winthrop and loving aunt of many.

A Memorial Mass will be offered in her memory at Saint John the Evangelist Church on Sunday, June 7, at noon.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.


Alfred DiSessa, 57

East Boston resident

Alfred T. DiSessa, a 40-year resident of East Boston, died suddenly at home on April 22. He was 57 years old.

He was born in Winthrop and was the former husband of Mary (D’Urbano) Metcalf of East Boston; beloved father of Alfred, Anthony, Daniel and Joseph DiSessa, all of East Boston; dear brother of John DiSessa of Leominster, Anthony DiSessa of Malden, Mark DiSessa of Marlborough and Eric DiSessa of Napa Valley, California and is also lovingly survived by three grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are kindly invited to attend his funeral from the Smith Funeral Home, 125 Washington Avenue, Chelsea, today, Wednesday, April 29, at 8 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Anthony’s Church, Revere, at 9 a.m. Services will conclude with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

To send a message of condolence to his family, please visit www.smithfuneralhomes.com.


Marjorie Park

Woman of Many Skills

Marjorie (Humphreys) Park died Monday, February 23, in Florida.

Born in Revere, she attended elementary schools in St. Petersburg, Mirror Lake Junior High School, Revere High School, Salem State College, Salem State Teachers College and graduated from Tampa College in the same class as her daughter with a GPA of 4.0.

She worked as a roller skating instructor and semi-professional performer at Webb’s City Patio, a sales associate at Jordan Marsh in Boston, a telephone operator at NET&T, an airline stewardess, a secretary and a dental assistant/hygienist. She served as executive secretary for the Florida State Association of Parliamentarians for years, in addition to serving in many offices and chairmanships.

She was a member of the Revere High School, Class of 1946, and an active member of the cheering squad. She was a lady of many skills, and it was with her participation by telephone and e-mail that she gave so generously of her time to the members of the reunion committee right up to the latest “80th Birthday Celebration” held in June 2008 at the Kowloon Restaurant. Her inspired bookmark, flyer design and historical CD discs were a few of her contributions that made the reunions so special. It is also important to note that she always included one for each and every classmate.

She was a member of the Florida Alpha Parliamentary Law Unit, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of Thespians, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Salty Sisters, Sunset Park Garden Club of Tampa, past president of the Tampa Women’s Club where she was also parliamentarian for a number of years and parliamentarian for the Catholic Daughters of America, Diocese of St. Petersburg.

She was generous in sharing her computer skills with many of her organizations as well as with Our Lady of Good Hope Church and St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, helping set up their record keeping and doing their yearly books.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Capt. Robert F. Park Sr.; her daughter, Donna Lee Park, and her partner, Deanne Dullea; her son, Robert F. Park Jr. and his wife, Bonnie; her brother, The Most Rev. John J. Humphreys and his wife, Patricia; her maternal aunt, Mary Hannon; her sister in law, Carlotta Hymphreys; and her brother-in-law, Capt. Carl S. Randles. She was a very dear friend of more than 50 years of Phyllis Curtis. She also leaves many nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, cousins and a host of friends, colleagues and acquaintances as well as her beloved cat, Sidney. She was the sister of the late Mary Humphreys Randles, James R. Jr. and Richard R. Humphreys.

Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Strays, 3660 Gandy Blvd., Pinellas Park, FL 33781. For her online memorial and guest book, visit, www.brettfuneralhome.net.

Evelyn Dugan, 90

Longtime Legal Secretary for Mayor of Revere

Evelyn D. (Sullivan) Dugan of Topsfield, wife of the late James F. Dugan Jr. with whom she shared 50 years of marriage, died April 11 in Beverly Hospital. She was 90 years old.

Born and raised in Revere, she was the daughter of the late Daniel and Dorothy (O’Brien) Sullivan. She was educated in the Revere School System and was a graduate of the Immaculate Conception High School in Revere and the Bryant & Stratton Secretarial School in Boston. Mrs. Dugan had been employed for many years as a legal secretary for the Mayor of Revere and following that she had worked as a secretary for the Crosby Steam Gauge & Valve Co.

She is survived by one daughter, Joyce M. McDonald, and her husband, Francis, of Topsfield; one son, James F. Dugan III and his wife, Deborah, of Warwick, RI; four grandchildren: Kelly Rowe and her husband, David, of Littleton, Mary Sobon and her husband, Joseph, of Cranford, NJ, Colleen Dugan and her companion, Christopher Luth, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Melissa McDonald of Topsfield; her great-grandchildren, Keira Rowe and Kaden Rowe of Littleton; and several nieces and nephews.

Her funeral will be held from the Peterson-O’Donnell Funeral Home, 167 Maple St., (Route 62), Danvers, Saturday, May 2, at 9:15 a.m., followed by her Funeral Mass in St. Rose of Lima Church, Park Street, Topsfield, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited. Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield. Visiting hours are Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Online guest book is at www.legacy.com.

For more information, inquire at 978-774-6600. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Mrs. Dugan’s name to the Blueberry Hill Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 75 Brimbal Ave., Beverly, MA 01915.


Florence Capprini, 95

Longtime Hairdresser

Florence Capprini of Atlantic Street, Winthrop, formerly of East Boston, died at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on April 24, after a brief illness. She was 95 years old.

Born in East Boston, she was the beloved daughter of the late Sophia and Aniello Saviano. A 68-year resident of Winthrop, she was a hairdresser for many years.

She was the beloved wife of the late Galeano Capprini and the loving mother of Robert Capprini and his wife, Joanne, of Winthrop and Janet Rosa and her husband, Pat, of Revere; sister of Joseph Saviano, Andrew Saviano and his wife, Florence, and the late Steve, Philip, Victor, Frank, Louis Saviano and Antonette Comunale; sister-in-law of Phyllis Saviano, Mary Saviano and Dorothy Auferio and is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Her funeral was conducted from the Ernest P. Caggiano and Son Funeral Home, Winthrop. Burial was in the Cross Street section of Winthrop Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the East Boston Kiwanis Scholarship Fund, PO Box 83, East Boston, MA 02128. To sign her online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.

Patricia Procopio, 63

Laboratory Clerk

Patricia (Minton) Procopio of Revere died on April 24 at the age of 63.

A clerk for a laboratory, she was born in Chelsea and was the beloved wife of the late John F. Procopio and devoted mother of John A. Procopio of Revere and Michael P. Procopio of Chicago; dear sister of Thomas H. Minton and his wife, Carol, of Texas, Russell W. Minton and his wife, Donna, of Alabama and the late Ellie Kaplan and Carol Edeker; sister-in-law of Francis, Beatrice and Alfred Procopio and she is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Her funeral will be held from the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, Revere, on Thursday, April 30, at 9:30 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass in the Immaculate Conception Church at 10:30 a.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Visiting hours are today, Wednesday, from 4 to 8 p.m. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the ASPCA,Box 909, Boston, MA 02117. For her guest book, please visit www.Buonfiglio.com.

Kenneth Hill

Former President of the Revere City Council

Kenneth F. Hill of Point of Pines, Revere, died on April 25.

A late member of the Revere Knights of Columbus and St. Anthony’s Holy Name Society, he was the former president of the Point of Pines Beach Association, former president of the Revere City Council and proprietor of Hill Realty.

He was the beloved husband of Carolan (Hegarty) Hill, with whom he shared 39 years of marriage; loving father of Christopher Hill and his wife, Marla, and Bert Hill, all of Revere, and Kenneth J. Hill and his wife, Andrea, of Melrose; dear brother of Thomas Hill and his wife, Florence, William Hill and his wife, Eleanor, Grace Sannella and her husband, Frederick, and Helen Hill, all of Revere, Audry Cogliano and her husband, John, of Westford, and the late Herbert S. Hill Jr., James J. Hill and Mary Hill Cushing and cherished grandfather of Nathaniel, Gabriella and Veronica Hill.

His funeral will be held from Vazza’s “Beechwood” Funeral Home, Revere, today, Wednesday, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in the Immaculate Conception Church, Revere, at 11:30 a.m. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in his name to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, 801 Roeder Road, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910. For directions and guest book, visit www.vazzafunerals.com.


Mary Kaufman

Watertown resident

Mary (Close) Kaufman of Watertown died on April 21.

A true lover of cats and dogs, she was the beloved wife of the late Bernard Kaufman; mother of Richard of Somerville and Alan Kaufman of Revere; mother-inlaw of Janet Kaufman; and the sister of the late Richard and John Close of Scotland.

Donations in her memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Services and burial were private, with arrangements by the Mann & Rodgers Funeral Home, Jamaica Plain.

Nicholas Pagliuca

Of Revere, formerly of the North End

Nicholas Pagliuca of Revere, formerly of the North End of Boston, died on April 24.

A retired cutter in the garment industry, he was the cherished son of the late Maria (Musto) and Giuseppe Pagliuca and brother of the late Ralph Pagliuca.

A private graveside service was held with arrangements by the Dello Russo Funeral Service of Medford. For his online obituary and guest book, please visit dellorusso.net.

Tammy MacNeil

Revere resident

Tammy MacNeil of Revere died on April 24.

She was the loving mother of Kelly MacNeil and John Green, both of Revere; cherished daughter of Jean (Bowman) MacNeil of Peabody and the late William T. MacNeil; dear sister of William, Kathy Noonan and her husband, John, Robin Lasco, Jane, Amanda, Alecia and Ryan MacNeil, all of Revere, Richard of Woburn, John MacNeil and his wife, Kerri, Christopher and his wife, Lisa, all of Peabody, and David MacNeil and his wife, Carolyn, of Marblehead and Christine MacNeil of Holyoke; cherished grandmother of two and aunt of many. She also leaves her fiancé, Tim Brennick, of South Boston, and the father of her children, John Green of Lynn.

Funeral arrangements were by Vazza’s “Beechwood” Funeral Home, Revere. Burial was in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. For her guest book, visit www.vazzafunerals.com.


Sally Federici, 80

Revere Police Matron

Sally J. (DeSalvo) Federici of Revere died on April 24 at the age of 80.

Born in Revere, she was the Revere police matron.

She was the beloved wife of John T. Federici of Revere; devoted mother of Marian Bruzzese and her husband, Anthony, Debra Vickers and her husband, Chris, Janis Guide and her husband, Michael, all of Revere; dear sister of Josephine Smith-Wade of New Hampshire, Joseph DeSalvo of Lynnfield and the late Peter DeSalvo; cherished grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of five.

Funeral arrangements were by the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, Revere. Burial was in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to: American Association For The Blind, 200 Ivy St., Brookline, MA 02146.

For her guest book, please visit www.Buonfiglio.com.

Anna Drinon, 95

Of Reading, formerly of Revere

Anna A. (Regan) Drinon of Reading, formerly of Revere, died on April 22. She was 95 years old.

She was the beloved wife of the late William J. Drinon Sr.; devoted mother of Maureen E. D’Addario and her husband, Ronald M, of Reading, William J. Drinon and his wife, Donna, of New Hampshire and Sheila D. Saville and her husband, Scott, of Braintree; cherished grandmother of Lauren Burnham and her husband, Timothy, of New Hampshire, Nancy D’Addario of New York, Matthew Drinon of Swampscott and Christopher Drinon of Salem; loving sister of the late Mary Callahan; and she is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements were by the Doherty-Barile Family Funeral Home, 11 Linden St., Reading. Burial was in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. To send a memorial condolence, visit josephdoherty funeralhome.com.

Joseph Cinseruli

East Boston Activist

Joseph V. “Joe Cenci” Cinseruli of Winthrop, formerly of Orient Heights, East Boston, died on April 25.

A U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II, he was a Past Grand Knight, St. Francis Council, East Boston Knights of Columbus, Winthrop Elks, a member of the East Boston Athletic Board, Land Use Council and an East Boston activist.

The beloved husband of Yolanda “Yola ” (Minerva) Cinseruli, with whom he shared 60 years of marriage, he was the loving father of Ellen Howe and her husband, Jeffrey, of Winthrop, Debra Gavegnano and her husband, Joseph, of Salem and Joseph D. Cinseruli and his wife, Valerie, of North Andover; dear brother of Marie Di Orio of Melrose, Phyllis Todisco of Winthrop, Frank “Frankie Brown” of Revere and the late Matthew, Carmen, George and Vincent Cinseruli; cherished grandfather of Jessica and Lauren Howe, David Gavegnano, Nicholas and Isabella Cinseruli and great-grandfather of Brady Gavegnano, Emma Gilpin and the late Rory Gavegnano.

His funeral will be held from Vazza’s “Beechwood” Funeral Home, 262 Beach St., Revere, today, Wednesday, at 9 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St John the Evangelist Church, Winthrop, at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Winthrop Cemetery Winthrop. For his guest book and directions, visit www.vazzafunerals.com.

Anahid Staffier, 93

Excellent cook, talented artist and wonderful mother

Anahid “Anna” Margaret Staffier, formerly of Revere, died on April 25 at Montgomery General Hospital in Maryland. She was 93 years old.

She was born in Cambridge on January 4, 1916. She currently lived in Silver Spring, Md. with her brother and sister, but lived in Revere for most of her life. She was known to be an excellent cook, a talented artist and a wonderful mother.

She leaves people remembering the strong love she had for her family. Her survivors are her son, Richard, who was known as the apple of her eye; two granddaughters, Jodi and Lori; three great-grandchildren, Kayla, Shawn and Tanner; three nieces, Joan, Stacy and Gail, who adored her; and her best friend and sister, Nevart. Funeral services and burial were private.

Charlotte Brodie, 93

75-year member of Hadassah

Charlotte (Rosenfield) Brodie of Revere, formerly of Chelsea, died on April 23. She was 93 years old.

She was the dear wife of the late Irving L. Brodie and the loving daughter of the late Philip and Celia Rosenfield.

Born in Chelsea, she attended the Chelsea schools, graduated from Chelsea High School, Class of 1933, and attended Simmons College where she took classes in business and bookkeeping. She was an executive secretary for Mr. O’Keefe at the First National Stores of New England.

Mrs. Brodie was lovingly devoted to her family and friends. She truly embraced helping others who were in need or in crisis. She would always lead by example to help others before her own needs and would always say, “Think and help other people before you think of yourself.”

Besides raising and caring for her entire family, her true passion was her tireless devotion to Hadassah. She was a member of the organization for over 75 years and served numerous terms as president of Hadassah chapters on the local and regional level. She received numerous awards and citations from Hadassah for her lifetime achievements and her ability to encourage fellow Hadassah members and chapters to succeed and prosper from the organization’s ideals.

She truly embraced and succeeded in any challenges she faced to help others and never expected any favors in return. She was truly cut from the mold of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah, by “touching lives one at a time”. Along with Hadassah, she was a member of Congregation Tifereth Israel of Everett, Temple Emmanuel of Chelsea, and Congregation 420 at the Jack Satter House in Revere.

She was the loving mother of William Brodie and his wife, Roberta, Edward Brodie and his wife, Janet, and Philip Brodie and his wife, Naomi; dear sister of Norman Rosenfield and his wife, the late Leslie Rosenfield, Arlene Harris, and the late Joseph Rosenfield and his wife, Cynthia Zeltzer. She was the dear sister-in-law of the late Sydney and Rose Brodie, Shirley Cohen and the late Bertram Cohen, and Manuel Witt and the late Norma Witt; loving grandmother of Shari and Thomas Fabiani, Jami and Paul Marad, Brad Brodie, Cori Brodie, Carolyn and John Copolla, and Kate and Christopher Garcia; loving great-grandmother of Paige Ilyce Fabiani, Jacob Brodie Fabiani, Samuel George Marad, and Matthew David Marad; and beloved aunt of many.

Funeral arrangements were by the Torf Funeral Chapel, Chelsea. Burial was in Everett. Memorial observance will continue on Wednesday (today) at the Jack Satter House, 420 Revere Beach Blvd., Ninth Floor, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Everett/Chelsea Hadassah, c/o Temple Tifereth Israel, 34 Malden St., Everett, MA 02149. For her online guest book, please visit the funeral home website, www.torffuneralservice.com.

Denise Condon

DMR employee

Denise M. Condon of Winthrop, formerly of Revere, died on April 23 after a brief illness.

A former employee of the Department of Mental Health, she was the fiancée of the James Mazzarella, who preceded her in death, for over 32 years; cherished daughter of the late Richard F. and Ruth (Campbell) Condon; dear sister of Patricia Flaherty of Winthrop and the late Richard F. Condon Jr.; cherished aunt of Michelle and Richard Flaherty; and the fond niece of Jack and Ruth Campbell of Salem.

Funeral arrangements were by Vazza’s “Beechwood” Funeral Home, Revere. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. For her guest book, please visit www.vazzafunerals.com.

Flora Nelson

North Reading resident

Flora L. (Gnerre) Nelson of North Reading died on April 20.

She was the beloved wife of the late Clarence A. Nelson; mother of Stephen P. Nelson and his wife, Elaine, of Winston-Salem, NC, Paul J. Nelson and his wife, Kimberly, of Garner, NC and the late Adrian C. Nelson; grandfather of John Nelson, Jennifer Pychewicz, Tim Nelson, Kay Nelson, Ann Nelson, Elizabeth Nelson and Bryan Nelson; sister of Marie Pietrillo of Wakefield, Anna and Clementina Gnerre, both of Revere, Julia Puliafico of Framingham and the late Louie Gnerre and Nora Cavalieri.

Funeral arrangements were by the Cota Funeral Home, North Reading. Burial was in Riverside Cemetery, North Reading. For more information, visit www.cotafuneralhomes.com.

Celeste ‘Sally’ Biondo, 86

New Hampshire resident

Celeste “Sally” Biondo of Londonderry, NH died on April 2. She was 86 years old.

Born in Boston, on May 7, 1922, daughter of Tobias and Antoinette (Scherzi) D’Errico, she was a resident of Londonderry since 2004, formerly living in Methuen and Somerville.

She was the wife of Salvatore A. Biondo of Londonderry; mother of Paul Biondo and his wife, Ellen, of Londonderry; grandmother of three; sister of Elena Vitale of East Boston, Rose Bethards of Michigan and Albert D’Errico of Revere and is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. She also was the mother of the late Philip Biondo.

Funeral arrangements were the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Road, Londonderry. Burial was in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden. For more information, visit www.peabodyfuneralhome.com.

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