Deanna Tarentino advised Judy Donohue that our Classmate, Meredith A (Stevens) Ecstrom, has passed. The following is her Obituary:

Meredith “Chip” (Stevens) Eckstrom, 81, of West Bridgewater passed away peacefully on November 18, in the comfort and care of hospice, holding her son John’s hand. Meredith was born October 21, 1942, in Brockton, the daughter of Fred and Doris Stevens. She was a graduate of Brockton High and Robert Powers Finishing School before she was married to the love of her life, Robert, in 1963. They resided in Alexandria during the last year’s of Robert’s career in the CIA which coincided with the Kennedy Administration. After John was born in Virginia in 1965, Bob and Meredith moved back north to live close to family, and settled in West Bridgewater, where Susan and Mark were born, and all three kids were raised.

Meredith took pride in her decades long career at Bridgewater State where she served the honors students at the college and made many lifelong friends. But her real passion in life, the thing that brought her the most joy, was to be amongst her family and her closest friends. She was quick with a laugh, always eager to listen, and loved nothing more than to have her family all together in the same room.

Meredith is predeceased by her husband Bob, brothers David and Malcolm Stevens and sister Audrey Werthen and is survived by her little sister Jeanne Zona and her husband Michael. She leaves her son John and his wife Bobbie Jo of Bridgewater, daughter Susan of Woburn, and son Mark and his wife Megan of Easton. She will be sorely missed by her 6 loving grandkids Briana Zuppa and Courtney (Zuppa) Palermo and husband Vinny, Jenna and Ethan Eckstrom, John Jr. and Zackary Eckstrom, her Godson Michael Tilden and by many beloved nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws, and many lifelong friends, all of whom will miss her dearly.

A wake service will be held at Russell & Pica Funeral Home, 441 South Main St., (RT28) West Bridgewater on Thursday November 30th from 3-7 PM. A brief funeral service will take place at Russell & Pica Funeral Home on Friday, December 1st at 10:00 AM, followed by interment at Pine Hill Cemetery.

Judy Higgins Donohue received word that our Classmate, Mary Lee Hunter has passed on. The following is her Obituary:

Mary Lee Hunter, age 82 of Abington, died November 11, 2023 at South Shore Hospital. She was a daughter of the late William and Kathleen (Smyth) (Hunter) Kilday and Herbert S. Hunter. Born in Boston, she was a long-time resident of Brockton before moving to Abington in 2009, attended St. Patrick School leaving as a junior and graduating from Brockton High. She went to work for the Telephone Company prior to graduation as an operator and continued her career thorough several clerical positions and finally was one of the first female in the area to enter the position of repair person.

Retiring after more than 30 years she went on to new adventures selling real estate, working for the insurance companies during the class action and demutualization settlements. After being retired for the second time, boredom set in and she went back to work as a food demonstrator for CDS at Costco, making a host of new friends and it became her “most fun job”. She was a member of the Telephone Pioneers, Retirees Club of Local 2322 and for many years ran luncheons after then local council closure of the Pioneers Retirees. Her home, friends and feral cats were most important in her life.

She is survived by a cousin Mrs. Brian McQuade (Karen) of Holden. She leaves many friends, Christine Masefield, the Donahue, Murphy and Smith families whose friendship she treasured dearly.

Visiting hours was held in the Conley Funeral Home 138 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from 9-10am followed by a funeral Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Brockton at 10:30am. Burial in Pine Hill Cemetery.

Jane Venckauskas informed Judy Higgins Donohue that Her friend since the 1st grade, Judy (McGlone) Castano has passed away. The following is her obituary:

Judith A. (McGlone) Castano of Plymouth passed away at Royal Cape Cod in Buzzards Bay on October 29, 2023, at the age of eighty-one. She was the beloved wife of Robert D. Castano; the loving mother of Paul Castano and his wife Carole of North Attleboro; and the cherished grandmother of Joseph, Elizabeth, Matthew, and Daniel Castano. She leaves her brother David A. McGlone of South Dennis.

John (Jack) Farrell, notifed Kerry Harkins that our Best Friend from 1948, Bernard, G. Donohue (Brian), passed on to eternal life on Saturday night October 28, 2023... It is an emotional time for Brian's family, as it is for Jack and I, who have been friends with Brian from that very first day at the Forest Avenue School... (Now known as the "Little Red School House") ...Kerry. - Brian's Obituary follows:

Navy Lieutenant Bernard "Brian" Gerald Donohue, Jr, 80, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the Rhode Island Veterans Home on October 28, 2023. Bernard was born on November 25, 1942, in Brockton, MA. In 1964, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He went on to serve in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1967 Arab - Israeli war and was decorated seven times in Vietnam, including two Bronze Stars and the Gallantry Cross, serving in the River Patrol Force from early 1968 through 1970. Thereafter, he remained in Vietnam at the request of Admiral Zumwalt, Chief of Naval Operations, to direct the combat craft orientation of the Vietnamese Navy.

In Vietnam, he met and fell in love with Mai Nguyen, whom he married in 1969. They returned to America in 1971 to raise their family in Barrington, RI. After returning from the war, Bernard served on President Gerald Ford's Task Force on Refugee Resettlement. He also advised Governor Noel and Governor Garrahy as Special Assistant. In the private sector, Bernard served as investment counsel, trustee, and published author. Bernard received the Vagabond Literary Prize for Poetry, Munich, 1967, and published "Night Watch Poems" in 2019 (Stillwater Publishing, www.nightwatchpoems.com). He was a devoted parishioner of Holy Angels Church and a familiar face at the Barrington YMCA. He held several board positions supporting the arts, including The Festival Ballet and Cumberland Company, and served as president of the RI Chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Lt. Donohue was an accomplished poet, respected mentor, loving husband and father, beloved "Papa," and brave and honorable soldier. He is survived by his wife, Mai, seven children, and fourteen grandchildren; son Brian Thach, his wife Michelle and grandsons Steve and Alexander of Mesa, AZ; daughter Maura Donohue, her husband Perry Yung and grandsons Sasa and Jet of New York, NY; daughter Maeve Donohue, her husband David Gonville, granddaughter Mirabel, and grandson Simon of Barrington, RI; son Bernard Donohue, III, his wife Hilary Pettit Donohue and granddaughter Arwen of Newark, CA; son Patrick Donohue, his wife Amber Levinson, grandson Leo and granddaughter Maya of San Francisco, CA; daughter Aileen Brown, her husband Robert, grandson Dempsey and granddaughters Bowyn, Selkie, and Harkin of Rye, NY; daughter Eirene Donohue, her husband Brad Martin and granddaughter Tofino of Los Angeles, CA.

Bernard was the brother of Mary Donohue of Brockton, MA, Sheila Heagney of Bridgewater, MA, and Paul Donohue of Brockton, MA. Bernard is preceded in death by his parents, Bernard G. and Catherine M. (Conway) Donohue, and his sister, Kathleen (Donohue) Madan of Brockton, MA.

Private services are with Smith Funeral & Memorial Services, 8 Schoolhouse Rd. Warren, RI. A Celebration of Life will be held in the Summer of 2024, inviting all of Bernard's many friends and colleagues. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Rhode Island Veterans Home, Activities Department, 480 Metacom Ave, Bristol RI 02809. The Donohue family welcomes photos and memories from friends and colleagues. For directions or tributes, please visit: www.wjsmithfh.com.

Published by Barrington Times on Oct. 30, 2023.

Tom Chew reorted that our classmate, Marianne A. (Proulx) LaCroix, has passed away... Her obituary follows below:

Marianne A. (Proulx) LaCroix, 81, a resident of East Bridgewater, died peacefully at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton on Saturday, September 9, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of Eugene E. LaCroix for 54 years. Daughter of the late Leo O. and Eva E. (Yannone) Proulx, she was born and raised in Brockton. Marianne was a graduate of Brockton High School (Class of 1960) and North Adams State College (Class of 1964). She was a lifelong resident of Brockton until she moved to East Bridgewater in 2004. An elementary school teacher for over thirty years, Marianne started her elementary school teaching career in Easton Public Schools before teaching at then St. Edward’s School in Brockton for 25 years; she retired in 2007. Marianne was a past president of the Sacred Heart School Guild, a longtime CCD teacher at Sacred Heart Church in Brockton, and a member of the College Club of Brockton. She enjoyed traveling, cooking, Boston sports, shopping, and ceramics - but her greatest joy was spending time with her family.

In addition to her husband Gene, Marianne is survived by her children, Christopher LaCroix and his wife Mary of Vorhees, NJ; Caitlin Luther and her husband Scott of Bridgewater; and Luke LaCroix, EdD of San Diego, CA. She has five grandchildren: Brielle Luther, Blake Luther, Colby Luther, Grace LaCroix, and Christopher LaCroix, Jr. She was the sister of Terese O’Connor and her husband Paul of Brockton. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Funeral will be held from the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St. (Rt. 27) Stoughton on Friday, September 15 at 9:45 AM followed by a Funeral Mass at The Church of St. Ann, West Bridgewater at 11 AM. Visiting Hours will be Thursday, September 14 from 4-7 PM. Interment will take place at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. In lieu of flowers, donations in Marianne‘s memory may be made to Joslin Diabetes Center (One Joslin Place, Suite 745, Boston, MA 02215).

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