Douglas J. Bognanno
Douglas J. Bognanno, 15, of Milton, died January 6 at home after a long illness.
Born in Boston, he was a lifelong resident of Milton.
He attended Collicot elementary school and St. Agatha’s elementary school where he graduated in June of 2002.
Douglas was a freshman at Xaverian High School where he was a member of the Debate Team. Doug enjoyed fly fishing at his family’s summer home in Weld, Maine. He was an avid NASCAR fan and particularly of driver Jeff Gordon. His other interests included bowling, karate and politics.
He had been the timekeeper and scorer for the St. Agatha’s Parish basketball team.
He is survived by his parents, John T. and Theresa Y. (Caron) Bognanno of Milton; a sister, Andrea M. Bognanno of Milton; a brother, Richard J. Bognanno of Milton; grandparents, Thomas L. and Elizabeth A. (Sheehan) Caron of South Weymouth; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 9 at St. Agatha Church. Burial was in Milton Cemetery.
Donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445 or to the Children’s Hospital Boston, Attention: Tributes, 138 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446.
Estelle C. DiBiase
Estelle C. (Mazza) DiBiase of Milton, died January 11, in St. Joseph ‘s Manor in Brockton from cancer, she was 89.
Mrs. DiBiase was born in Somerville and was brought up in Arlington and was a graduate of the Arlington Public School system. She was a resident of Milton for over 60 years.
Mrs. DiBiase was the co-owner of the Golden Spur Stables and Riding Academy in Milton, with her late husband Tony. She enjoyed equestrian events and helped run the stables.
She also worked with her sister as a seamstress in Anna Mazza Brassiere and Corset Shop on Tremont Street in Boston.
She retired as a seamstress in 1970. She retired from the stables after her husband’s death in 1985 and sold the stables.
Mrs. DiBiase was active in the Council on Aging and the Senior Citizen’s Club.
She was a ballroom dancer with her late husband and a line dancer. Until two months ago was line dancing three days a week at Cunningham Park, the Keystone Building in Dorchester and River Bay Club in Quincy.
Wife of the late Tony R. DiBiase, she is survived by two daughters, Linda E. Nevaras of Abington and Loretta C. Manning of Rockland; a sister, Florence Bennett of Tewksbury; two grandsons, Joseph J. Nevaras of Abington and Jeffrey Nevaras of E. Bridgewater, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral Mass was celebrated on January 14 at St. Elizabeth Church.
Funeral arrangements were made by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home.
Donations may be sent to St. Joseph’s Manor, 215 Thacher Street, Brockton, MA 02302 or to Old Colony Hospice, 14 Page Terrrace, Stoughton, MA 02072.
Jane A. Hersee
Jane A. (Aylward) Hersee, 67, of Milton, died January 5 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital after a long illness.
Born and raised in Milton, she lived in Winchester for many years before moving back to Milton. She graduated from St. Agatha School and Mount St. Joseph Academy, Brighton. She also attended Boston College.
Mrs. Hersee was a former employee of F.W. Woolworth in Winchester and State Street Bank in Boston.
She was a past president and former member of St. Mary’s Mothers Club in Winchester and past member of the Winchester Jay Ceettes.
She is survived by a daughter, Kyle A. Benson of Lawrence; two sons, Peter A. Hersee Jr. of Winchester and Kurt A. Hersee of Dracut; three brothers, Alfred J. Aylward of Hyde Park, L. Michael Aylward of Milton and John P. Aylward of Quincy; a sister, Marie A. Aylward of Milton; and four grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Agatha Church on January 9. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Donations may be made to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, 2 Rehabilitation Way, Woburn, MA 01801.
Helen J. Zona
Helen J. (DePesa) Zona, 87, formerly of Milton died January 3 in Sarasota, Florida.
Born in Quincy, Mrs. Zona worked as a beautician at Maxine’s in Quincy for many years.
She lived in Milton for 46 years before moving to Florida three years ago.
She is survived by two daughters, Karen Flynn and Diane Zona, both of Florida; two sisters, Ruth McMahon of Quincy and Alyce Howard of Florida; a brother, Paul DePesa of Sandwich; and two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Burial was in Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree.
Funeral arrangements were made by the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home.
Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1230 South Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34239.
Paul J. Mylnek
Paul J. Mylnek, 63, of Hyde Park died January 1 at Milton Hospital.
Born in Manhattan, Kansas, he lived in Topeka before moving to Hyde Park 20 years ago.
Mr. Mylnek worked as an electrician for 44 years and was a member of Local 226.
He was a member of the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club and was a former member of the Masons in Kansas.
He is survived by his wife, Jean S. (Carita) Roderick Mylnek; five daughters, Mary Pierce, Paula Liles, Debra Kelly, Stella Coote, and Susan Conlon, all of Kansas; 12 grandchildren and a great-grandson.
A memorial service was held January 4 at Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Donations may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Research, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115.
Robert L. Jepson
Robert L. Jepson, 81, of Milton, died January 6 in Massachusetts General Hospital following a battle with leukemia.
Mr. Jepson was a graduate of Milton High School and of University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
He was a Navy Veteran of World War II and was a quartermaster and served on a minesweeper that was one of the first ships to enter Tokyo Harbor prior to the signing of Japan’s surrender.
Mr. Jepson became involved in the metal finishing business after the war. Then in 1967, he founded his own company, Metal Finishes Company of Dedham. He was an engineer and worked on projects as complex as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Shuttle. His business also was involved with the Kennedy Library and Polaroid Corporation. He retired in 1997 after a career of over 30 years but was still consulting in the business he founded until the time of his death.
He is survived by his wife Esther (Campbell) Jepson; two daughters, Stephanie A. Foley of Milton and Victoria A. Jepson of Bedford; a son, Robert L. Jepson, Jr. of Milton; a brother, Walter T. Jepson of Shrewsbury; and a granddaughter.
A funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Elizabeth Church on January 10. Burial was in Milton Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements were made by Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home.
Una W. Harkins
Una W. Harkins, 91, of Milton, died January 5 at Newton Wellesley Alzheimer’s Center, Wellesley.
Born in Galway, Ireland she immigrated to Boston with her family at the age of three. Mrs. Harkins grew up in Jamaica Plain, graduating from Girls High and Bryant-Stratton Business School.
She worked for the state’s Social Services division for several years. She then worked for the Lavin Company for 17 years.
Wife of the late Patrick A. Harkins, she is survived by two daughters, Mary Patricia O’Connor of Pennsylvania and Ann Neville of Westwood; and nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Agatha Church on January 11.
Funeral arrangements were made by Dolan Funeral Services.
Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 36 Cameron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140.
Rosalie Ann Collette
Rosalie Ann (Tortora) Collette, of Milton, died January 10 after a lengthy illness at her home.
Born in Boston, she had resided in Milton since 1984.
She worked at the Gillette Safety Razor company for over 23 years, retiring in 1992.
She is survived by her husband, Bernard Thomas Collette; four daughters, Diane Collette of Milton, Nancy Grinnell of St. Croix, Cindy Collette of Weymouth and Tracy Ferullo of Quincy; two sons, Alfred Collette of Milton and Bernie Collette of New York; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 14 at St. Agatha Church. Burial was in Milton Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements were made by Dolan Funeral Services.
Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.
Frances E. McGrath
Frances E. (Swan) McGrath, 80, of Dorchester, died January 9 at Boston Medical Center.
Born and raised in Boston, she lived in Weymouth for 10 years and was a Dorchester resident most of her life.
She worked as a payroll clerk for the Boston Fire Department for 10 years retiring in 1984.
Wife of the late Charles P. McGrath, she is survived by a daughter, Ellen Carlson of South Weymouth; three sons, Charles McGrath of Weymouth, Thomas McGrath of Quincy and John McGrath of Whitman; a brother, Thomas Swan of Weymouth; two sisters, Mary Barry of Weymouth and Lillian Walsh of Stoughton; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 13 at St. Brendan Church, Dorchester. Burial was in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne.
Funeral arrangements were made by the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Donations may be made to Keystone Residents Fund, 151 Hallet Street, Dorchester, MA 02124.
Olga Karoline Gruner
Olga Karoline Gruner, 96, of Milton and Moultonborough, NH, died January 13, in the Crestview Nursing Home, Quincy.
Born in Dorchester, she moved to Milton as a young child. She was graduate of Milton Public Schools.
For many years she summered in Moultonborough, and managed a bed and breakfast and rental cottages on Lake Winnipesaukee.
She is survived by two sisters, Astrid Gruner of Milton and Cornelia Pinkham of New Mexico; a brother, Coll Gruner of New Hampshire; and by many nieces and nephews.
A funeral service was held January 16 in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home. Burial was in Milton Cemetery.
