Rene' (Ferrara) Lake-Gagliardi

ATHOL- René Angela (Ferrara) Lake-Gagliardi passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, January 20, 2025, surrounded by her loving family: daughter, Angelina (Lake) Sutherland; son, Anthony Lake; and devoted husband, Peter Gagliardi.

Her Celebration of Life will be held in Athol, MA on June 6th. For more information, please reach out to her family.

Her life reflected the values instilled in her by her parents: a deep appreciation for faith, family (la famiglia), friendships, hard work, building and maintaining strength, honoring commitments, and helping others, whether friends or strangers in need. She cherished a lifelong love of music and dancing.

René grew up in a home filled with music and dance. Her father had a passion for singing and was actively involved in barbershop music. Her parents met at a ballroom dancing hall where both were dance instructors. Whenever there was music, René was sure to be dancing.

René began piano lessons at the age of six and continued playing until the end of 2023 when she was physically unable to continue playing. As a youngster, she played for elementary school activities, accompanied singers in junior high school, and taught herself how to play guitar. In high school, she was active in chorus, jazz band, concert band, and marching band. When the marching band needed someone to play the glockenspiel, they handed her the instrument, and she played it. When the jazz band needed a bass player, she became a bass player. Other instruments she played included: mandolin, violin, melodica, electric bass, flute, and native flute. René loved her music.

Due to a childhood infection, René lost hearing in her right ear and retained only 30% hearing in her other ear. Despite this challenge, she dedicated herself even more to her piano lessons and singing. Few people realized René was reading lips, and few in the music world knew that she strategically positioned herself to harmonize with other singers and musicians.

In school, she often struggled to hear what others could hear. Teachers might speak softly or unknowingly turn their backs to her, making lip-reading impossible. With few resources available to assist students with hearing impairments, René didn’t let this obstacle slow her down. She actively worked to find solutions.

René never looked for the easy way. She had a set of values that she followed, regardless of the hard work required. Life’s bumps in the road became her opportunity to overcome and become stronger and wiser.

René loved exercise and running. Her father was a body builder who worked out most of his life. He taught his children how to be strong. To make use of her physical training at home, René wanted to join the cross-country team. However, Wilmington High School didn't have a girls' cross-country team. Coach Frank Kelly offered her the opportunity to become the first female member of the team. She happily took the opportunity.

René participated in cross country and spring track for all four years of high school. Subsequently, other girls began to join her on the teams. René competed with the women’s intramural track team. She excelled. As a sophomore, she placed in all eight events that she entered. One of her favorite events was the triple jump, which she won with a remarkable 36-foot effort.

Following her high school graduation, René traveled across the country, stopping at most of the national parks and many other historic places. It was a three-month trip, undertaken at minimum cost through planning, camping, and careful spending.

When it was time for college, she enrolled at what is now the University of Massachusetts Lowell, choosing to major in music with a focus on the piano. She believed that her parents shouldn't bear the burden of her college expenses. To make this possible, she took on a caregiving role for a student with significant physical challenges. Living in the dormitory with the student, she assisted with many daily needs. In exchange for her services, René received free room and board.

During her college years, René was introduced to the town of Royalston by her friends. They frequently visited a local camp owned by the family of one of her friends. These visits led to René’s love with the land, the forest, the falls, and the charm of the small town.

After college, René purchased her first house in Lawrence, providing both housing for her family and an apartment to generate extra income. Later, she bought and refurbished a second house, creating additional rental units.

René, however, never forgot her love for rural settings and her interest in homesteading. She sold her properties in Lawrence to purchase a 93-acre property just outside Royalston's South Village. René’s life and focus remained centered on Royalston. Living on a dirt road, she and her children lived in a modest camp without electricity and running water for 12 years. Fortuitously, electricity ultimately came to the area.

At the cottage, she grew vegetables, raised chickens and other animals including horses, a pony, and goats. She also had dogs. She bred Rottweilers and earned a reputation as a true "dog whisperer."

René had a clear vision for her property as she planned for her house. But, circumstances shifted and René found herself alone with two small children and without a job. Regardless, she remained committed to her original plan: to build a beautiful new home on the property for her family. She had a remarkable ability to find work and to make every dollar count, transforming a little into a lot. René cherished her home and land.

It didn’t take long for René to become a part of Royalston life. Her neighbors were mostly from Royalston, her children attended Royalston schools, and she engaged in many activities in the town. Over the years, she organized a 4H Club, created a Teen Center, served on the Royalston Cultural Council, provided organ music at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in South Royalston, participated in a group of homeschoolers, and participated in Open Mic. René also created the Royalston Egg Hunt, held in the spring each year.  She organized the egg hunt for twenty years.

As her children grew older, she went back to school. She earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Fitchburg State College. As a therapist, she served families and individuals in the immediate area and helped many people to improve their lives, following in her father’s footsteps. Later, she studied hypnosis and was accredited by the National Guild of Hypnotists.

René was deeply devoted to music. For twenty years, she served as the Music Director at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Athol. When Spin Ainsworth retired, she also assumed a similar role at Starrett Memorial Methodist Church. Occasionally, she was invited to provide music for other local churches, including Our Lady Immaculate, St. Francis, and St. Mary’s.

René took great pleasure in bringing out the best in church choirs, helping members gain confidence while tackling more challenging pieces of music.

René had many interests. She was a longtime member of Templeton’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and also belonged to the Mohawk Amateur Radio Club, the Pequoig Bowmen Club, and the Royalston Fish and Game Club.

René found true love with her husband, Peter Gagliardi. They were married on August 16, 2008. Together, they created many beautiful memories, traveling and spending quality time with friends and family. They complemented each other perfectly, working harmoniously to achieve their goals. Their journey was filled with love, laughter, and a shared passion for exploration, community service, and enriching the lives of those around them. During the last year of René's life, Peter put his own life on pause to care for her completely, ensuring they spent as much time together as possible. Thanks to his unwavering commitment, she was able to stay in the place she cherished most --  her home, surrounded by nature, her animals, and her loved ones.

Despite facing severe physical challenges in her final year, René chose to overcome by surrendering to YHWH. As her physical body declined, her spiritual growth flourished. She placed her complete trust in His plan for her life and found peace in every circumstance. René endured with grace, her smile unwavering, as she discovered a peace that transcends understanding and exemplified what it means to belong to Him. She deeply appreciated all the love and support from her family and friends during her last year. When her physical limitations prevented her from going out, her many friends came to her.

At the end of her life, she truly lacked nothing and left nothing undone. In her high school yearbook, she wrote that her goal in life was to live each day to the fullest, to smile because it made the world a better place, to pursue her passion for music, to cherish her love for dogs, and to have horses and a farm surrounded by family. She accomplished these dreams and so much more.

René’s life was a testament to gratitude, living fully, and continually overcoming challenges. As she leaves us, she imparts a legacy of resilience and unshakable faith. May we find comfort in knowing she now rests peacefully in our Father’s loving presence, nurtured and cared for as she awaits her final rebirth (John 5:28-29).

In addition to her husband, Peter, and her children, Angelina and Anthony, she leaves Angelina’s husband, Todd Sutherland; Anthony’s partner, Jeanette Beaudette; grandchildren, Justin Vincent Desmarais and Vincent Noah Lake; her brother, Vincent James Ferrara and his wife, Dianna (Loubier) Ferrara. She was predeceased by her son, Vincent Howard Lake, and her parents, Anthony James Ferrara and Evelyn Louise (Meuse) Ferrara.

René also leaves her stepdaughters Ann Gagliardi and her husband Ivan Castellucci, and their children June and Oscar; Jane Gagliardi, her husband Carmelo Gullotto, and their children Giovanni and Marco; and Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi and her husband Chris Higa.

We honor her life and cherish her legacy, knowing this isn’t the end for her; it’s only the beginning.

Witty’s Funeral Home, 158 South Main Street, Orange, is assisting the family.

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