All Obituaries

September 21, 2017 Edith Louise Shepardson ORANGE- Edith Louise (Cleveland) (Lynch) Shepardson, 90, of East River Street, King James Court, died Wednesday, September 20, 2017 at Quabbin Valley Healthcare in Athol. Born in Leominster on October 6, 1926, she was a daughter of the late Arthur Sr. and Katherine (Buckman) Cleveland and had lived in Worcester until moving to Orange in 1936. Louise, as everyone affectionately called her, was married to James...

September 21, 2017 James C. O’Brien ATHOL- James C. O’Brien, 61, of Allen Street, died at home on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 following an illness, with family at his side Born in Athol on February 27, 1956, he was a son of the late Bartlett and Ann (Laughton) O’Brien and grew up in Athol, graduating from Athol High School with the Class of 1975. Following high school, James lived in Florida for a number of years where he worked...

September 19, 2017 Steven B. Chiasson CHICOPEE- Steven B. Chiasson, 65, of Simard Drive, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at home after being stricken ill. Born in Athol on December 6, 1951, he was a son of Ralph and Alexsanderia (Szymanski) Chiasson and grew up in Orange and graduated from Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in Orange with the Class of 1970. Steven was employed by Rocky’s Ace Hardware stores as a manager for many...

September 18, 2017 Barry M. Songer ORANGE- Barry M. Songer, 60, of East River Street, went to be with his Lord, Jesus Christ, on Friday, September 15, 2017. Born on July 12, 1957 in Athol, he was a son of John S. Jr. and Irene (Dombroski) Songer and grew up in Orange and attended Ralph C. Mahar Regional School and earned his GED. Barry enlisted into the United States Marine Corp and was medically discharged. In 2003, Barry married Tammy...

September 16, 2017 Kristine K. Abbott ATHOL- Kristine Kimberly (Krell) Abbott, 69, of Brookside Road, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 with family at her side. Kristine was born in Milford, Connecticut on April 18, 1948, a daughter of the late Donald and Lorraine Krell. Kristine was married to Allen F. Abbott Sr., who predeceased her on September 2, 1995. A hard working woman, Kristine had been a waitress at several...

Gladys R. O’Hare ORANGE- Gladys R. (Bogan) O’Hare, 85, of St. Petersburg, Florida and formerly of Orange, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 after a long illness. Gladys was born in Clarksville, Ohio on August 28, 1932. She was the daughter of Alphesus Bogan and Georgianna (West) Bogan. Gladys is predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Charles L. O’Hare, and a brother, Charles E. Bogan. She was a graduate of the...

September 16, 2017 Michael R. Arnold ATHOL- Michael R. Arnold, 65, of South Main Street, died late Tuesday evening, September 5, 2017 at Athol Hospital following an illness. Born in Gardner on February 20, 1952, he was a son of Robert G. and Dorothy M. (Hood) Arnold and grew up in Athol and attended Athol High School. Michael enlisted into the United States Navy on November 8, 1971 and served during the Vietnam War aboard the USS Franklin Delano...

September 3, 2017 David C. Burnham Jr. ORANGE- David C. Burnham Jr., 48, of East River Street, died unexpectedly at home on Thursday, August 31, 2017 after being stricken ill. Born in Athol on October 8, 1968, he was a son of David C. Sr. and Gloria (Tatro) Burnham and grew up in Orange and attended Ralph C. Mahar Regional School. David had worked for the former Baker School Supply in Orange and then went to work for Panel Pro as a...

August 21, 2017 Frank Soos WENDELL- Frank Soos, 59, of Lockes Village Road, died Sunday, August 20, 2017 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Born in Greenfield on November 20, 1957, he was a son of Ferenc and Emelia (Winkler) Soos and grew up in Greenfield and graduated from Franklin County Technical School in 1977. Frank married Louanne (Paddock) on August 6, 1988 and just celebrated 29 years together. Employed by the University of...

August 18, 2017 David R. Dexter ATHOL- David R. Dexter, 77, of Daniel Shays Highway and formerly of Orange,went home to be with his Lord on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Healthcare Campus in Worcester, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Greenfield on October 8, 1939, he was a son of Russell A. and Margaret C. (Johnson) Dexter and graduated from the Phillips Academy in Andover in 1958, where he was a member of...