Mary Helen Holt
Mary Helen (Vaughan) Holt, 73, formerly of Cape Cod, a registered nurse, died Sept. 16 at New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton after a lengthy illness.
Mrs. Holt was born in Boston. She graduated from Saint Gregory High School and Catherine Laboure Nursing School in Dorchester.
Mrs. Holt was a nurse at Carney Hospital in Dorchester for 15 years. She was also a nurse at Frank Wood Nursing Center in Dorchester for 15 years and Hospice of Cape Cod for five years after moving to Cape Cod. She moved back to Milton in 2000 and was a resident of Fuller Village.
Mrs. Holt is survived by two daughters, Mary Ellen Foley and Sheila Drain, both of Milton; a son, Thomas Holt of Hull; a sister, Patricia Dunn of Orleans, a brother, John Vaughan of Milton; and five grandsons.
A funeral Mass was held Sept. 19 at Saint Elizabeth Church. A private burial was held.
Donations may be made to NE Sinai Hospital Development, 150 York St., Stoughton 02072.
Funeral arrangements were made by Dolan Funeral Home.
Harold J. Price
Harold J. Price, 74, of Idaho, died December 27 at Gritman Medical Center in Idaho.
He was born on April 27, 1929 in Quincy. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an electrical engineer. He later received his Ph. D. in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico and retired from Sandia National Laboratories in 1995.
Mr. Price married M. Carol Mayo on June 2, 1951 in Milton.
He is survived by his wife, M. Carol Price of Idaho; a son, Bill Price of Dreary; and a daughter, Lynn Price of Connecticut.
At his request, no funeral services will be held. A family memorial will take place at a later date.
Donations may be made to the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006.
Arrangements were made by Short’s Funeral Chapel in Moscow, Idaho.
Elizabeth M. Clancy
Elizabeth M. Clancy, a retired teacher in Boston Public School System, died Sept. 15 after a short illness.
Miss Clancy was born in Portland, Maine. She received both her bachelor’s and masters degrees from Boston University.
Miss Clancy is survived by two nieces, Catherine Morrill and Elizabeth Callahan of Milton; a nephew, Gerard Callahan of Milton; and a grand niece, Mary Elizabeth O’Connor of New York.
A funeral Mass was held Sept. 19 at Saint Mary of the Hills Church. Burial was held in Milton Cemetery.
Donations may be made to the Carmelite Monastery, 61 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Roxbury MA 02119.
Funeral arrangements were made by Dolan Funeral Home.
Dudley H. Meek Jr.
Dudley H. Meek Jr., 74, died Sept. 15 at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Brighton after a brief illness. Born in Chicago, Ill., Mr. Meek graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Amherst College, Class of 52, and Harvard Business School in 1954. He was a Korean War veteran and served with the United States Navy.
Mr. Meek retired from his company, Chapman Home Cleaning of Boston, in 1999. He was a 15-year member of the Board of Directors of M.R.E. (Milton Residences for the Elderly), and was a past member of the Milton Hoosic Club’s Board of Directors.
He was the husband of Olivia "Libby" (Hutchins) Meek and father of John H. Meek of Hingham, Geoffrey M. Meek of Idaho, and James D. Meek of Maine. He is also survived by five grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church, 112 Randolph Ave., Milton on Sept. 20.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to either Amherst College or to Saint Michel’s Episcopal Church.
Joseph T. Branca
Joseph T. Branca, 91, of California, a retired chemist and World War II veteran, died December 26 at the Cloisters of Mission Hills in San Diego.
Born in Boston and raised in Dorchester, Mr. Branca resided in Washington, D.C. and moved to San Diego 40 years ago.
Mr. Branca retired from his job with the federal government in 1967. He was an Army veteran of World War II, serving in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and in the battle of Guadalcanal. Mr. Branca was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant.
He is survived by two sisters, Filomena Gullifa and Lucy Branca, both of Quincy; and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was celebrated December 31 at St. Agatha Church. Burial was held in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
John C. Crowley
John C. Crowley, retired general director of marketing for John Hancock Insurance Co. in Boston, died December 31 at Milton Hospital.
Born in Boston and raised in Dorchester, he resided in Milton for 50 years and in Dennis for eight years, and spent many summers there.
Mr. Crowley graduated from Cathedral High School and Boston University, where he received his chartered life underwriter degree.
He attended the University of Connecticut, American College of Life Underwriters and the American Management Association in New York, where he studied underwriting, estate planning and marketing.
Mr. Crowley worked for 40 years for John Hancock, retiring in 1982. He was a member of the Milton and Dennis Knights of Columbus.
He was a former chairman of the Milton School Committee and a member of Milton Town Meeting for 27 years.
He served on the Milton Warrant Committee for two years. He was also a former member of board of directors of H.O.M.E.S. Inc., the St. Mary of the Hills Holy Name Society, St. Mary’s Ushers Club, the John Hancock’s Speaker Bureau, the National Association of Life Underwriters, the Boston Estate and Business Planning Council and the Milton Democratic Town Committee.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 5 at St. Agatha Church. Burial was held in Milton Cemetery.
Donations may be made to Sister Mary Thomas, Cobb Memorial Hospital, P.O. Box 503, Altamont, NY 12009.
James M. Curley, Sr.
James M. Curley, Sr., 87, of Plymouth, a retired Boston public school custodian, died December 31 in South Shore Hospital.
Born in New York City, he lived in Jamaica Plain as a young boy. He was educated in Boston schools and was a longtime resident of Mattapan before moving to Plymouth 20 years ago.
Mr. Curley retired in 1981 after working for the Boston public schools for 31 years. He spent many years at Boston Trade School. He also worked for the former First National Stores as a meat cutter.
He was an Air Force veteran of World War II.
Husband of the late Mary C. (McCarthy) Curley, he is survived by four sons, Paul J. Curley of Maryland, John W. Curley of Plymouth and Kevin J. Curley and James M. Curley Jr. of Milton; two daughters, Eileen F. Manning of Norwell and Mary C. Donovan of Braintree; a brother, Thomas Curley of West Roxbury; a sister, Mary Buchwald of Bourne; 14 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 3 in St. Agatha Church. Burial was held in Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton.
Donations may be made to the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, 7 Mill Brook Road, Wilton, NH 03068.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Elizabeth A. deVarennes
Elizabeth A. (Sweeney) deVarennes, of Quincy, a retired Hull High School teacher, died December 30 at home.
Mrs. deVarennes attended Quincy schools and graduated from Regis College in Weston. She was a lifelong Quincy resident.
She was a business teacher at Hull High School for 16 years and retired in 1979. She was a member of the Quincy Retired Teachers’ Association, St. John’s Ladies Sodality and the Quincy Catholic Club. She was also a former board member of the Quincy Visiting Nurses Association.
Wife of the late Dr. Charles M. deVarennes, she is survived by a niece, Elizabeth K. (Sweeney) Guilfoyle of Quincy; a nephew, Jeffrey F. Sweeney of Braintree; and several other nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
A funeral Mass was celebrated January 3 at St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy. Burial was held in Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy.
Donations may be made to Hospice of the South Shore, 100 Bay State Drive, Braintree, MA 02185-9060.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Willena D. Hamby
Willena D. (Morgan) Hamby, 79, of Quincy, a former tax accountant, died December 27 at the Newton Wellesley Alzheimer’s Center in Wellesley.
Born in Malta, Montana, she grew up in the state and lived in Browning, Montana for many years. She resided in Denver for 47 years and moved to Quincy a year ago to live with her daughter.
Mrs. Hamby was a graduate of Browning High School in Montana.
Mrs. Hamby was the former owner of Hamby’s Tax Service and was a tax accountant for H & R Block in Denver, Colorado for 20 years. She was the first teacher in the H & R Block Tax Schools in Denver. She was also the former owner of the Polka Dot Drive-In Restaurant in Browning, Montana.
She was a former member of the Colorado chapter of Business and Professional Women and the Lewis and Clark Foundation. She was also a past president and life member of the American Legion Auxiliary of Colorado and Montana.
Wife of the late E. Burke Hamby, she is survived by a son, Gail L. Hamby of Denver; a daughter, Dianne E. Rastallis of Quincy; two sisters, Ivo Hollifield and Shirley Robbins, both of Arizona; and a granddaughter.
A funeral Mass was celebrated December 30 at St. Agatha Church. Burial was held in Denver, Colorado.
Donations may be made to St. Agatha Church, Milton MA 02186.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
Jeffery H. Wilson
Jeffery H. Wilson, 49, of Quincy, retired head reserve librarian at Healy Library at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, died December 27 at home after a long battle with cancer.
He was born in Fall River and moved to Pompano Beach, Florida as a young child, where he grew up. He was educated in Florida and was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts. He resided in Quincy for many years.
Mr. Wilson worked at the library for 25 years, retiring recently due to his illness.
Mr. Wilson is survived by his wife, Pamela J. (Compton) Wilson; a sister, Carole Levesque of Pennsylvania; and several nephews and nieces.
The funeral and burial were held privately.
Donations may be made to Healy Library, UMass Boston, Office of Institutional Advancement, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston MA 02125-3393.
Funeral arrangements were made by Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home.
