William M. Lawler
PAXTON - William M. Lawler, 81, of 4 Glen Ellen Road, died March 21, 2001 in Christopher House of Worcester after an illness.
He leaves his wife, Virginia (Finneran) Lawler; a son, William P. Lawler of Paxton; two daughters, Susan Zemaitis of Leicester and Maria Lawler of Worcester; a sister, Ann Gryzb of South Carolina; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. He was born in Worcester, son of Lawrence J. and Catherine (Naughton) Lawler. He graduated from St. Peter's High School and Worcester Junior College and attended WPI, all in Worcester.
Mr. Lawler was an industrial manager for 25 years for area companies, retiring in 1989. He was a member of St. Columba Church. He volunteered at St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester, and received an award for his service. He also volunteered at the Mustard Seed, Worcester.
The funeral Mass was March 24, in St. Columba Church. Burial was in Mooreland Cemetery. O'Connor Brothers Funeral Home, Worcester, directed arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to Mustard Seed, 93 Piedmont St., Worcester, MA 01609.
Robert B. Pierce Sr.
PAXTON - Robert B. Pierce Sr., 77, of 1028 Pleasant St., died March 23, 2001 in UMass Memorial Medical Center-Memorial Campus, Worcester.
He leaves his wife of 53 years, Barbara B. (Parker) Pierce; three sons, Daniel G. and Timothy D. Pierce, both of Paxton, and Robert B. Pierce of North Scituate, R.I.; another son, Benjamin B. Pierce died in 1955; two daughters, Deborah A. Roy and Rebecca E. Latino, both of Paxton; a brother, Donald R. Pierce of Auburndale, Fla.; two sisters, Priscilla Ivashek of Advance, N.C., and Rachel Staiti of Paxton; 12 grandchildren; nephews and nieces. He was born in Shrewsbury, son of Glidden B. and Esther R. (Richardson) Pierce, and lived in Paxton for 65 years. He graduated from South High School, Worcester and attended Massachusetts State College of Agriculture, Amherst.
Mr. Pierce owned and operated Pierce Dairy Farm, where he worked since 1936. He retired in 1986. He was a member of First Congregational Church of Paxton and Rufus Putnam Lodge of Masons, Rutland. He served on the Paxton Historical Commission.
The funeral service was held Monday, March 26, in Miles Funeral Home, Holden. Burial was in Mooreland Cemetery. The Rufus Putnam Lodge of Masons conducted a ritual service on Sunday, in the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701; or to Rufus Putnam Lodge of Masons, Main Street, Rutland, MA 01543.
Carol H. Powers
STERLING - Carol H. (Hession) Powers, 81, of Wilder Road, died March 24, 2001 in Fairlawn Nursing Home in Leominster after an illness.
Her husband of 55 years, Dr. John J. Powers Sr., died August 30. She leaves three sons, John J. Powers Jr. of Sterling, Ken Powers of Lowell, and Greg Powers of Wichita, Kan.; two daughters, Cara Houghton of Sterling and Mimi Parks of Fort Valley, Va.; a brother, John Hession of Chesapeake City, Md.; two sisters, Eve Mercer of St. Augustine, Fla. and Teddy Hession of Huntington, N.Y.; 10 grandchildren; nephews and nieces. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., daughter of Henry F. and Theodosia (Behr) Hession, and lived 40 years in Sterling. She graduated from Georgetown University School of Nursing in Washington, D.C. in 1941, and later graduated from Assumption College in Worcester.
Mrs. Powers was a registered nurse.
She was a member of St. Richard of Chichester Church, and the Houghton School Building Committee. She was a charter member of the Sterling Historical Society, a former member of the Sterling Historical Society, and a former member of the Board of Trustees at Clinton Hospital. She was a member of the Old Sturbridge Village, and a local delegate of the Republican Party. She was a member of the Alumni Association and the Board of Governors at Georgetown, and received the school's John Carroll Award.
The funeral was held March 27, from Miles-Sterling Funeral Home, with a Mass at St. Richard of Chichester Church. Burial was in St. John's Cemetery in Lancaster. Memorial donations may be made to the Residence Activities Fund, Fairlawn Nursing Home, 370 West St., Leominster, MA 01453.
Marguerite E. Brown-Banks
STERLING - Marguerite E. (Russell) Brown-Banks, 92, formerly of Goulding Road, died March 11, 2001 in the Masonic Home, Charlton, after an illness.
Her husband of 11 years, Hartley B. Banks, died to 1995. She leaves a son, Gardner R. Brown of Arlington, Va.; two daughters, Jean M. Jones of Sterling, and Joyce L. Trevitt of North Chatham; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. Her first husband of 40 years, Albert N. Brown, died in 1967. Two sons, Bruce A. and Elliott N. Brown, also predeceased her. Born in Hudson, N.H., daughter of Harry Union and Helen Agusta (Center) Russell, she graduated from South High School, Worcester. She moved to Sterling in the late 1920s.
Mrs. Brown-Banks was a member of the First Church of Sterling. She enjoyed dressmaking and millinery, and studied them at Stevens College, Fitchburg.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m. in the First Church of Sterling, 6 Meeting House Hill Road. Spring burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Masonic Home, P.O. Box 1000, Charlton, MA 01507 or the First Church of Sterling Memorial Fund, 6 Sterling House Hill Road, Sterling, MA 01564. The Silas F. Richardson & Son Funeral Home, Leominster, is directing arrangements.
Jean A. Cate
HOLDEN - Jean A. Cate, 85, formerly of Holden, died March 4, 2001 in the Odd Fellows Home in Worcester.
She leaves a nephew, Kerry Ward, and a niece, Marren Meehan, both of Chevy Case, Md. Two sisters, Phyllis Cate and Dorothy Cate Ward, predeceased her. She was born in Holden, daughter of Frank H. and Carrie (Chenery) Cate.
Miss Cate worked in the cafeteria of the Heald Machine Co. in Worcester for 27 years, retiring in 1980.
She was a member of Greendale People's Church and its Christian Fellowship Group. She was a member of the Rebecca Lodge.
The graveside service will be held in Grove Cemetery, Holden, in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to the Odd Fellows Home, 104 Randolph Road, Worcester, MA 01606. Miles Funeral Home, Holden, is directing arrangements.
Robert Fowler Jr.
PAXTON - Robert Fowler Jr., 86, of Squantum Road, Paxton, formerly of Worcester, died March 11, 2001 in UMass Memorial Medical Center-Memorial Campus.
His wife of 45 years, Grace E. (Kahrman) Fowler, died in 1984. He leaves a son, Robert E. Fowler of Uxbridge; a daughter, Joanne Backus of Spencer; three grandchildren. Two brothers, Kenneth M. and Donald H. Fowler, both of Rutland, and a sister, Virginia M. Fowler, predeceased him. He was born in Winthrop, son of Robert and Gretchen (McIntyre) Fowler, and lived in Paxton, Spencer, and Worcester. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from WPI, and attended MIT.
Mr. Fowler was an electrical engineer for 40 years for New England Electric Co., retiring in 1977.
He was a member of First Congregational Church of Paxton, and was a former trustee and deacon of the church. He sang many years in the church choir, and was a former member of First Congregational Church of Worcester, where he was also a trustee and deacon.
He was an Eagle Scout, and served on the Paxton Conservation Committee. He was a member of the Tech Old-Timers Club and the Tatnuck Country Club, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Tech Old-Timers in 1984. He received the Herbert T. Taylor Award in 1984 from the board of trustees and alumni of WPI.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 17, in First Congregational Church of Paxton, 1 Church St., Paxton. Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Rumford, R.I. Donations may be made to WPI, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609 or First Congregational Church of Paxton, 1 Church St., Paxton, MA 01612. Caswell-King Funeral Home, 1147 Main St., Holden, is directing arrangements.
Nathalie Lilley
PAXTON - Nathalie (Roche) Lilley, 72, of Catharpin, Virginia, formerly of Paxton, died March 8, 2001 in Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church.
She leaves her husband of 47 years, John Lilley; a son, Russell L. Lilley of Fredericksburg; a daughter, Barbara L. Progen of Leominster; a brother, Vincent Roche of Toms River, N.J.; two sisters, Mary Seskevich of Leicester, and Claire Jacobs of Weston, Conn.; five grandchildren; nephews and nieces. She lived in Paxton before moving to Virginia.
Mrs. Lilley was a member of Prince William Hospital Auxiliary, and was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society. She was a former member of the Marine Corps Overseas Officers Wives Club and the Marine Corps Officers Wives Club of Northern Virginia.
The funeral service was held March 12 in All Saints Catholic Church, Manassas, Va. Burial will be at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Northern Virginia, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500, Falls Church, VA 22042.
Alice Jennings Smith
HOLDEN - Alice Jennings Smith, 94, of Blueberry Lane, died March 11, 2001 at home after a short illness.
She leaves no known survivors. Her husband, Eric H. Smith, died in 1983. Her son, Stephen J. Smith, died in 1962. Born in Worcester, daughter of Walter L. and Alice (Page) Jennings, she graduated from Boston University's School of Music.
Mrs. Smith played violin and was active in the Music Student's Club for many years.
She was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Cremation will take place at Rural Crematory, Worcester. There are no calling hours. Memorial donations may be made to the Walter J. Jennings Scholarship Fund at WPI, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609 or to the Performing Arts School of Worcester, 29 High St., Worcester, MA 01608. Miles Funeral Home, Holden, is directing arrangements.
Walter R. Smith
RUTLAND — Walter R. Smith, 39, of 4 Peters Ave., died March 3, 2001 in UMass Memorial Medical Center-University Campus.
He leaves his wife, Kelley J. (Pike) Smith; two sons, Joshua D. Smith of Worcester and Benjamin W. P. Smith of Rutland; a daughter, Tara J. Cronin of Rutland; his mother, Caroll A. (Benoit) Campbell of Auburn; a brother, Michael A. Smith of Worcester, his twin sister, Carole A. Gursky of Leicester; his maternal grandmother, Rose A. (Gagnon) Benoit of Farmington, Conn.; his paternal grandmother, Antoinette (LaPlume) Smith of Worcester; nephews and nieces. He was born in Worcester, son of Paul A. Smith, and moved to Rutland in 1995. He graduated from Burncoat High.
Mr. Smith was a contractor, and he owned and operated Waldo's Home Improvements in Worcester. He was a member of Worcester Church of Christ. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
The funeral was held March 9 from Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, Worcester, with a service at the Worcester Church of Christ. Burial will be in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton. Memorial donations may be made to The Benjamin Smith Scholarship Fund in care of The Worcester Credit Union, 520 West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606.
