Bedford
An Obituary: John Murray Dietz
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John Murray Dietz passed away on March 26, 2021, at age 95. A resident of Truro after his retirement, Mr. Dietz taught French at Bedford High School for 20 years and was an advisor to the Class of 1969.
Bedford
An Obituary: Anne Taliafaro Smith
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Anne Taliafaro. Smith, known to family and friends as Nancy passed away on April 12, 2021, at age 100. A long-time resident of Concord, for the past six years Mrs. Smith was a resident of Carleton-Willard Village where she served on the board of The Villager.
Bedford
An Obituary: Jean M. Runge
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Jean M. Runge passed away on April 10, 2021, at age 97 where she was a resident of Carleton-Willard Village. During World War II, Mrs. Runge was an air traffic controller in New Brunswick; she moved to Cambridge in 1946 and became a sporting goods buyer at Brines and Jordan Marsh before her marriage.
Bedford
An Obituary: Albert T. Frizzell
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Albert T. Frizzell passed away on April 11, 2021. In 1957, Mr. Frizzell established Bedford Auto Parts in a small storefront at 34 South Road; over time he expanded the business to include other auto parts stores in the area and became interested in property development.
Bedford
An Obituary: Thomas W. Lentine, Sr.
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Thomas W. Lentine, Sr. passed away on April 7, 2021. Born in Concord, Mr. Lentine was a lifelong Bedford resident. A 1968 graduate of Bedford High School, he will be remembered as Captain of the football team.
Bedford
An Obituary: Mary Lou Knell
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Mary Lou Knell passed away on April 3, 2021. A former Bedford resident, Mrs. Knell was an active member of St. Michael Parish and the Bedford Social Club.
Bedford
An Obituary: Robert Mead
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Robert Mead, a longtime resident of Bedford, passed away on March 31, 2021. A proud Bedford resident, Mr. Mead was honored as the town’s Citizen of the Year in 2006. He served as co-chair of the VA Hospital Surplus Land Advisory Committee in the late 1960’s and was instrumental in the development of Springs Brook Park. He was involved in the planning and building of the Bedford American Legion Hall. A founding member of the Rotary Club of Bedford in 1956, Mr. Meade was the club’s president from 1962-1963, helped create the 9/11 memorial along the road into Springs Brook Park, and was twice named Rotarian of the Year.
Mr. Mead founded Mead Brothers Tree Service in 1946—the business is still family-owned and -operated. Professionally, he was a founding member of the Massachusetts Arborists Association (president 1984-1987), Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters, and a founding member of Massachusetts Horticultural Congress.
Deaths
An Obituary: Charles Richard Freeman
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Charles Richard Freeman passed away on April 2, 2021. Mr. Freeman lived most of his life and raised his family in Bedford. He coached Bedford Youth Hockey, volunteered at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, and was a proud member of the Patriot Golf Course.
Bedford
An Obituary: John Ross ‘Jay’ Patterson, Sr.
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John Ross ‘Jay’ Patterson, Sr. passed away on March 29, 2021. Mr. Patterson was educated in the Bedford school system; he learned plumbing as a trade, and helped many friends and family, and completed his high school diploma later in life to set an example for his children. And, he was the Green Bay Packers number one fan.
Bedford
An Obituary: Sheila Muldoon Kinch
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Sheila Muldoon Kinch passed away on March 22, 2021. Ms. Kinch was a talented violinist and a member of The Southeastern Philharmonic Orchestra, Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, and the South Shore Folk Music Club. She was also a volunteer for the Whitman Board of Parks and Recreation, and Boston Cares.
Deaths
An Obituary: Rhonda Michele Pattelena
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Rhonda Michele Pattelena passed away on March 26, 2021. A graduate of Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Rhonda went for her Medical Assistant Certificate at Lincoln Technical Institute and was a nursing assistant in urgent care. Rhonda had the biggest heart and could walk into any room and light it up. She was loved by so many people and she touched so many hearts.
Bedford
An Obituary: Carla Shlegel Priest
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Carla Shlegel Priest passed away on March 25, 2021. A former resident of Bedford, Ms. Priest was involved in nursing, women’s health, gerontology, and healing arts. She served as Director of Public Health in Bedford, MA for twelve years, as Assistant Professor of Graduate Nursing at Boston University for three years, and was head of the Gerontology Department at Cape Cod Community College from 1991 to 1994. She held advanced certification in alternative therapies and lectured at Dana Farber Institute and other Boston and Cape Cod area hospitals. She authored an autobiography entitled ‘Rejoice Regardless.’
An Obituary: John S. Fichera
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John S. Fichera passed away on March 26, 2021. Mr. Fichera was a beloved fifth grade teacher in the Bedford Schools whose favorite quote was “A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the car I drove, but the world might be different because I was important in the life of a child.” A snowbird, Mr. Fichera died in Florida; he also maintained a home on the North Shore where he was a volunteer at the Plum Island Reservation.
Deaths
An Obituary: Nancy Sterling Lundquist
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Nancy Sterling Lundquist passed away on March 19, 2021. Recently of Kearsarge, NH, Mrs. Lundquist was a long-time Bedford resident where she was a member of First Church of Christ Congregational, Wedgewood Swim and Tennis Club, the Bedford Garden Club, and the Gourmet Club.
Deaths
An Obituary: David H. Spencer
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David H. Spencer of Bedford passed away on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Bedford
An Obituary: Debra Ford Mondello
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Debra Ford Mondello passed away on March 15, 2021. A former Bedford resident, Mrs. Mondello was a licensed speech therapist at Carleton-Willard Village, and she was thrilled by the happiness of her three sons, their shared bond, and their devotion to family.
Bedford
An Obituary: Thomas Arthur Kane
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Thomas Arthur Kane passed away on March 16, 2021. A long-time Bedford resident Mr. Kane moved to Linden Ponds in Hingham several years ago. After graduation from Virginia Military Institute, he joined the U.S. Air Force where he flew the B-47 Stratojet Bomber; his civilian career included positions with various aircraft companies and as a project manager responsible for missile configuration studies and aerodynamic analysis on Sparrow variants at Raytheon. Mr. Kane’s many interests ranged from racing motorcycles and sports cars as a young man to playing chess and golf with patients at the Bedford VAMC. He served First Parish Unitarian Universalist as a member of its Parish Committee in the 1970s.
An Obituary: Kelley Stone Vernucci
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Kelley Stone Vernucci passed away on March 11, 2021. A former Bedford resident, Mrs. Vernucci was was an interior designer and a loving wife and mother who loved Christmas year-round.
An Obituary: William Lawrence Sellers
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William Lawrence Sellers passed away on March 5, 2021. Mr. Sellers was an avid collector of old radio shows, a poet, and a trivia game designer who will be best remembered for his generosity and kindness.
An Obituary: John W. Blomstedt
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John W. Blomstedt passed away on March 11, 2021. A former Bedford resident, Mr. Blomstedt contributed to the development of electronics and computing systems at Raytheon and Honeywell after his service in the US Air Force where he was a flight officer and navigator.
Bedford
An Obituary: Albert G. Razzaboni
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Albert G. Razzaboni passed away on March 1, 2021. Mr. Razzaboni served in World War II (1946-1947). He was Honorably Discharged with an Occupation Ribbon and a World War II Victory Medal. Albert was a US Postal Service Carrier for 30+ years where he received multiple awards. He was an auxiliary police officer for the Town of Bedford and a charter member of VFW Post 1628.
Bedford
An Obituary: Jennifer L. Plunk
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Jennifer L. Plunk passed away on February 24, 2021. A former Bedford resident, Ms. Plunk—also known as Lady Cadillac—was a strong and caring person and a free spirit who loved everyone without passing judgment. She touched so many lives and made a huge impact on so many people in her life. She loved her family, friends, her animals, reading, and especially her Cadillacs – which was why she was called Lady Cadillac.
Deaths
An Appreciation: Don Blake
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Published with thanks to the Charles River Wheelmen and The WheelPeople editors
Don Blake was perhaps the longest-serving of the Charles River Wheelmen cycling club: he was club treasurer from 1972 until 2011, close to 40 years. Don passed away on February 15, 2021, at age 89. We extend our condolences to his friends and family and share memories from Bedford members and others who remember Don.
Deaths
An Obituary: Carol Hermann Wallace
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Carol Hermann Wallace passed away on February 21, 2021, at age 96. A resident of Bedford for more than 25 years, Mrs. Wallace earned her PhD in Chemistry in just three years, at age 24. She was a self-deprecating person who did not stand on formality; her own children had no idea she had a Ph.D. until the mid-60’s when they happened upon a piece of mail addressed to “Dr. Carol.”
Deaths
An Obituary: Donald G. Blake
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Donald G. Blake passed away on February 15, 2021. A resident of Bedford for more than 60 years, Mr. Blake was a longtime communicant of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was a volunteer for many church projects, providing administrative support for the Monthly Epistle and serving as a cashier at the snack table at the annual Advent Fair. He also enjoyed having breakfast with the Men’s Group and walking his dogs. An avid cyclist his entire life, he was Treasurer of the Charles River Wheelers and a supporter of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway.