The Bedford Citizen (https://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/category/deaths/)
Mary Frances (McHale) Leavitt passed away on June 30, 2020. A resident of Bedford for several years, Mrs. Leavitt left teaching and joined the US Air Force on a whim shortly after she graduated from college, then later, when her children were nearly grown, she joined the 26th Yankee Division of the Army National Guard where she served for 23 years.
Roger Neil Wallace passed away on June 20, 2020. Mr. Wallace, a Bedford resident for nearly 20 years, was a member of the team that developed the communication system for the Apollo XI moonshot.
Scott Beaman passed away on June 25, 2020. Mr. Beaman, a 1980 graduate of Bedford High School and attended Northeastern University for Engineering. He was extremely musically talented, had a great sense of humor, a beautiful mind, and was a gentle man.
Frances Martines Pierce passed away on June 27, 2020. Mrs. Pierce was raised in Bedford; her family owned the Blue Ribbon Dairy. She loved her time spent working as a bookkeeper at the dairy and spending time with her family.
Vincent Joseph Magazzu passed away on June 24, 2020. A Concord resident and a man of deep faith, Mr. Magazzu attended daily Mass at St. Michael Parish in Bedford. His obituary states, “his simple, humble and charitable way of life provided a strong example for his children and grandchildren.”
Maureen D. O’Keefe passed away on June 25, 2020. A resident of Bedford and Sanbornton, NH, Ms. O’Keefe was a compassionate registered nurse at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford for more than 20 years. She loved her family and friends, especially her Chix with Stix golfing partners.
Caryl Moore Leeds passed away on June 9, 2020. Mrs. Leeds, a 1974 graduate of Bedford High School, was an executive assistant at Raytheon Corporation until her retirement in 2009. An accomplished equestrian, she served on the board and as a group facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, North Central Massachusetts.
Gladys Urquiza Ribas passed away on May 24 2020 at age 93. Mrs. Ribas raised her family in Bedford before relocating to Key Biscayne, Florida, and then to Concord, North Carolina. According to her obituary, ” She prided herself on snubbing celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, and Goldie Hawn. She enjoyed meeting Mary Tyler Moore because she was a classy lady. She also met Fidel Castro and JFK.
Margaret Frances ‘Maggie’ Donigan passed away on May 7, 2020. Ms. Donigan was raised in Bedford and graduated from Bedford High School in 1975 and worked for Raytheon Corporation before becoming permanently disabled. She loved her family, was very patriotic, a lover of animals, and was very funny. She loved growing up swimming at The Wedgwood Club in Bedford, gardening, and driving her prized Trans Am. She bore her disease (Multiple Sclerosis) with grace but was completely bedridden for many years.
Ida Palmeri Smith passed away on May 21, 2020, in Florida. Mrs. Smith was born in Bedford in 1922 and graduated from Lexington High School before Bedford schools went through Senior year. She worked for the Veterans Administration for 30 years and was a member of St. Michael Parish.
Nancy J. Hoeflich passed away on May 28, 2020. Ms. Hoeflich was active in the Bedford Council on Aging during her years at Carleton-Willard Village, and with Mass Audubon and the Trinitarian Congregational Church when she lived in Concord. She shared her passion for science and nature in the Arlington Public Schools before her retirement.
Jane Elizabeth Emerson Porter passed away on May 22, 2020. A resident of Bedford since her marriage in 1958, Mrs. Porter graduated with honors from Fisher College where she received the Trustees Award. She was a secretary at the Hanscom Middle School for 17 years,
Ruth H. McLaughlin passed away on May 7, 2020. Mrs. McLaughlin was a resident of Carleton-Willard Village where she always had a beautiful smile for everyone who approached her.
Joan Fitzpatrick Dutra passed away on May 16, 2020. Mrs. Dutra was a Bedford resident since the early 1960s. She was a member of St. Michael’s parish who enjoyed reading and going out dancing every Saturday night.
Walter D. Pedroli passed away on May 16, 2020. Formerly a Lexington resident, Mr. Pedroli more recently lived at Carleton-Willard Village. A World War II veteran, he was instrumental in the design and production of the Polaroid camera and film with a registered patent for use in conjunction with an exposed roll of self-developing film.
Steven Craig Schoorens passed away on May 17, 2020. A 1980 graduate of Bedford High School, Mr. Schoorens worked for R.R.Donnelly in Bedford for 35 years. He held a Black Belt in Karate and enjoyed skiing, skating, camping, doing projects around the home and yard, and taking walks along the beach and through the woods with his family.
Eugene DeCaprio passed away on May 16, 2020. Mr. DeCaprio, a Bedford resident for more than 65 years, will be remembered fondly by all who knew him as a dedicated family man who loved nothing more than spending time with family, or in his younger years on his land with friends hunting. He was a proud member of the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Korean War.
Dorothea Wood Webster passed away on April 22, 2020. Mrs. Webster retired to Carleton-Willard Village in 2002 where she became actively involved in the community, serving on the residents’ council in the nursing center, and creating watercolor gift cards for sale at the General Store on Main Street. Proceeds from the sale of the cards benefitted Carleton-Willard’s hospice and employee appreciation funds. Before coming to Bedford, Mrs. Webster served as president of the Massachusetts General Hospital Service League.
Barbara Robleski Bennett passed away on May 15, 2020. A former Bedford resident, Mrs. Bennett moved to Bedford in 1966. She was a nurse at Union Hospital in Lynn and ended her career at the Fernald School in Waltham 25 years later.
John Arthur ‘Jack’ Glenn passed away on May 2, 2020. Mr. Glenn graduated from Bedford High School where he was the lead drummer in the BHS band and earned the award as the top percussionist in Massachusetts’ All State high school competition.
Robert Baxter Pillsbury passed away in Bedford at age 93on May 12, 2020. A psychotherapist, Mr. Pillsbury joined the New Black Eagle Jazz Band as the group’s pianist in late 1971.
Louis Ira Cooper passed away on May 2, 2020. A resident of Carleton-Willard Village, Mr. Cooper’s diverse interests, from photography to billiards, brought him joy that he shared with others through a cheerful ‘Hello!’ a hug, or a parting ‘Luvya!’
Eileen Campbell Hansen passed away on May 10, 2020. A long-time Bedford resident and member of First Church of Christ, Congregational, Mrs. Hansen retired from the Bedford Department of Public Works where she was an office manager.
Jean A. Chamberlain passed away on May 4, 2020. As a secretary at Bedford High School for 16 years, Mrs. Chamberlain had an impact on many students’ lives and loved her job. A resident of Carleton-Willard Village, she faced each day with grace and positive thinking, along with a commitment to family, friends, and fun. A memorial service will be held at a later date
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Frank E. Gauntt passed away on May 5, 2020. A 60-year resident of Bedford, Mr. Gauntt worked at the MIT Instrumentation Lab in Cambridge, now known as Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, and worked on NASA’s Apollo Project. Earlier this year, he was featured in “One Giant Leap, Celebrating Apollo 11 ~ Fred Gauntt” in The Bedford Citizen. Mr. Gauntt was a life member of the Woburn Sportsman Club where he taught firearm safety courses