Eleanor E. “Ellie” (Shaw) Barton – 75, of Reading and formerly of Wilmington, died Saturday, April 23, 2016, at the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late Paul H. Barton, who died one year ago, after 56 years of marriage.
Born in Roxbury, MA on April 12, 1941. She was the daughter of the late Michael S. Shaw and Elizabeth G. (Burroughs) Shaw. Eleanor was a graduate of Wilmington High School. She worked for ITEK, Analog Devices, Sweetheart Plastics and Elia’s Country Store, all while raising her family.
As quoted by her oldest granddaughter Cate, “Nana is Beautiful, Blissful, Brave and Bossy”. She was kind hearted, a good friend, a loving and devoted wife and mother. She listened, loved and cared so much. Her entire life was her family, home, being a wife, mother and grandmother. She spent many years taking care of her husband Paul, brother-in-law Robert and mother-in-law Eleanor.
She traveled the world, loved Maine and New Hampshire, yard sales and bird watching and baking. She especially loved books, music, British Television, solving a good mystery and old movies.
Family members include her daughter, Pauline E. Nelson and her husband John of Pelham, NH and her son, Michael R. H. Barton and his wife Laura of Tyngsborough; three grandchildren, Cate, Ian and Anna Barton; sister, Catherine Carpentier and her husband Albert of Londonderry, NH; sister-in-law of Margaret Locke and her husband Sherman of North Reading; she was the sister of the late Michael Shaw.
Her funeral will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Friday, April 29 at 10 AM. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, April 28 from 4 to 7 PM. Burial will be in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Peabody. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Robert J. Edkins – 87, of North Reading, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Friday, April 15, 2016, at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford.

He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Barbara (Peterson) Edkins; his son, Robert P. Edkins; his daughters, Andrea M. (Edkins) Merabet, and Laurel A. Edkins and Michael W. Spring; his granddaughter, Stephanie M. Merabet; sister, Ruth D. Sedlacko; sister-in-law, Dr. Astrid O. Peterson, and her daughter, Brigitta E. Peterson; and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Donald O. Edkins, Norma G. Black, and Pauline L. Knowlton.

Born in Melrose, MA on November 4, 1928, Bob was the son of the late Orville B. and Anita C. (Leach) Edkins. He was a proud graduate of Melrose High School, Class of 1947, the Fisher School and Suffolk University (Class of 1951) in Boston, and the Army Finance School in Germany. Bob was a U.S. Army Veteran and he had fond memories of his time in service from 1951 to 1953, when he was stationed in Berlin, Germany with the Finance Corps.

Bob was a people person, and cherished his friendships, old and new. Bob was an active resident of North Reading, MA for the past 57 years. He always enjoyed biking around his neighborhoods in North Reading and in Florida. It was a good way for him to meet up with neighbors and to keep an eye on what was going on around him. In retirement, he enjoyed meeting “the boys” every morning at Dunkin Donuts to keep up with town news. For many years he was a member of the Maplewood Baptist Church in Malden and he most recently attended Free Christian Church in Andover. He enjoyed regularly getting together with his longtime friends from youth group at the Maplewood Baptist Church through the “Golden Oldies” Senior Group.

Bob worked for A&P Supermarkets in the Melrose area during high school and early college; First National Bank of Boston in Boston; Consolidated Chemical Company and Stauffer Chemical Company in Woburn from 1953 to 1968; and Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company from 1968 to 1986. Bob always liked to stay busy. After taking early “retirement” from Houghton Mifflin, he worked for Hudson Bus Lines in Medford and for Coach USA in Chelsea. For over 20 years, Bob worked at the Harvard University football games. He also enjoyed performing freelance export work on behalf of extended family in Finland.

Bob loved to travel, both for business and pleasure. He visited Finland at least 19 times, though he only learned to say one word—“thank you.” In 2007, he had an opportunity to revisit Berlin, Germany—54 years after serving there with the Army. Bob’s last trip overseas was in 2008 to visit his granddaughter, Stephanie, who was studying abroad in Rome, Italy. He celebrated his 80th birthday there and visited the Vatican that day. He always enjoyed taking his family on annual vacations during the April school break and visiting elderly family members in Maine in the summer. In later years, Bob loved spending his winters in Florida with his wife Barbara and having family visit.

Bob had a knack for business and a love for numbers. He was exact and specific, always striving for accuracy. Doing his own taxes and helping others with theirs was like a game for him. He was especially good at remembering license plate numbers, and often surprised us with his knowledge of a wide range of topics. He loved watching “60 Minutes,” and once the program started, everyone knew better than to disturb him. Bob also had an incurable sweet tooth, and could often be found in line at Dandelions sneaking in an ice cream before dinner. He enjoyed eating out and always got a kick out of telling his family it was his turn to “cook dinner.”

Bob was best known for his dry wit and smile. He was a fierce protector of those he loved, and truly invested in the lives of others. Though he was never the mushy type, he demonstrated his love in practical ways that often went unspoken. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Calling hours will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading, on Friday, April 22nd from 5 to 8 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bob’s memory to: The GRECC Program, Bedford VA Hospital, 200 Springs Rd., Bedford, MA 01730. Check should be written to: Bedford VA Hospital and in the memo: Unit 62CD Activities or to the charity of your choosing. WWW. CROSWELLFUNERALHOME.COM

Thelma L. (Taylor) Mortell – 93, of Billerica, formerly of North Reading and Melrose, died Saturday, April 16, 2016 at Wingate at Reading. She was the beloved wife of the late William M. Mortell.

Born in Melrose, MA on January 28, 1923. She was raised in Melrose and was a graduate of Melrose High School. Thelma worked as a secretary for Wyatt Pharmaceutical in Malden for many years.

She was a former resident North Reading for thirty nine years. Thelma was a loving and devoted wife to her late husband William, who died in 2005.

Family members include her cousin, Barbara Herrick of Maine, four nephews, two nieces and twelve great nieces and great nephews. A special thank you to Violet Shapleigh of Billerica and her son, Kevin and his family, who loved her very much.

A graveside service will be held in Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose on Thursday, April 21 at 10 AM. There will be no calling hours. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to: Veteran’s Gift Account, 235 North Street (Town Hall), North Reading, MA 01864. Arrangements are under the direction of the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading.

Keith  A.  Berry  – 84, of Reading, formerly of East Kingston, NH, Boothbay Harbor, ME and North Reading, died Thursday, April 7, 2016, at the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington. He was the beloved husband of the late Maureen F. (Glynn) Berry.

Born in Swampscott, MA on August 6, 1931. He was the son of the late Preston and Alice (Smith) Berry. Keith was a graduate of Saugus High School and then served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War Conflict. After his service, he went to work for General Electric in Lynn, MA, where he was placed in the drafting apprenticeship program. Having acquired these drafting skills, Keith continued working in this field for his entire career. He worked for a multitude of companies throughout the Metropolitan Boston Area. An extremely proficient and sought-after draftsman, Keith was never without work. Towards the end of his career he insisted on mastering the newest Technology in CAD.

Keith was a loving husband and devoted family man. He was loyal, trustworthy and faithful. Though he was extremely successful in his career, he was always humble. He had a quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. Loving the outdoors, Keith thoroughly enjoyed home projects and maintaining his beautiful properties, in particular his home in Boothbay Harbor. There, he and his wife Maureen spent many wonderful years with their many friends on their boat and dining out often. He loved his favorite pets, missing his great black lab and leaving his great companion, Riley the Maine Coon cat.

Family members include his loving son, Mark Berry and his partner, Maria Spina of North Reading and daughter, Laurel (Berry) Ford and her husband Dennis Ford of Derry, NH; grandchildren, Daniel, Patrick and Kaleigh Ford and great grandson, Oliver Ford. He was the brother of the late Marcia Savory and Lois Gallagher.

Calling hours will  be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading, on Thursday, April 14 from 10 to 11:30 AM, followed by a graveside service at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to: American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241.

Francis “Skip” Connolly – 79, of North Reading and formerly of Wakefield, died unexpectedly at his home on Friday, March 18, 2016. He was the beloved husband of the late Sandra H. (Topping) Connolly.

Born in Melrose, MA on June 28, 1936. He was the son of the late John and Mabel A. (Carlin) Connolly. Skip was a U.S. Army Korean War and Vietnam Conflict Veteran, he was a Paratrooper and served for ten years.

He was a retired B.A.S.F. Mill Room Supervisor and he also worked for the Boston Stove Company in Reading.

Skip was has been a resident of North Reading for the past 44 years. He was a former member of the Loyal Order of Moose in North Reading, the Over The Hill Gang and was a former Treasurer of the Local AFLCIO. Skip was always steadfast and reliable.

Family members include his loving son, Michael F. Connolly (formerly of North Reading) and his wife Marisa of Burlington; his sister, Jean LeFavour of Wilmington; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

His funeral will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Tuesday, March 22 at 7 PM. Calling hours will be held prior to the service from 5 to 6:45 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to: Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.