Obits: 'Fancy Stitcher,' Former Police Officer and Crossing Guard

Written by Patch Local Editor Sam Bonacci

Natick — Cheryl K. (Hand) Chagnon, 53 died peacefully at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on July 8, 2013, following a courageous and dignified battle for over 16 years with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with her family at her side.

For over 13 years Cheryl served as a crossing guard for the Town of Natick Police Department and also was a Certified Occupational Therapist for many years at the Mary Ann Morse Nursing and Rehab Center in Natick.

Marlborough — Francis "Al" Kurtz, 73, died Thursday, July 11 after a long period of failing health.

Kurtz was a veteran of the United States Marine Corp.  and later worked for the Raytheon Corporation in Marlborough as an HVAC technician for many years prior to his retirement earlier this year.  His greatest love was his beloved family and he cherished his time with all of them.  

Natick — Francis E. Martin, age 65, a lifelong resident of Natick and a retired Natick Police Officer, died on Friday afternoon, July 12, 2013, at MetroWest Medical Center in Natick.

Frank joined the Natick Police Department in 1971 and was both happy and proud to serve his community. He was unfortunately disabled while on duty in 1982, and has since that time worked odd jobs at varying intervals. Frank’s love of the people of Natick never waned, and he was always effusive when meeting friends around town. He was a talented raconteur and seemed to have a story of some nature to share with everyone he met. His tales always made way for his contagious humor to shine forth.  

Natick — Martha P. (Page) Wilson, 94, of Natick and Brewster, died Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at home surrounded by her loving family.

Wilson was a member of the Natick Women’s Club and its Scholarship Committee, The Natick Garden Club, the New England Genealogy Society, and St Linus Sodality. She was a lifelong Red Sox fan, avid reader and bridge player. 

Shrewsbury — William L. Keville Sr., of Shrewsbury, died Saturday, July 13, 2013 at home. He was 86. 

Shrewsbury — Monica E. Thomson, 95, of Shrewsbury died Friday July 12, 2013 at home.

In 1955, she moved to Washington, DC where she worked in the Fiscal Accounting Department for the U.S. Treasury. While working for the U.S. Government, Monica continued her education receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in 1965 from George Washington University and her Masters of Social Work from Catholic University in 1968. She then moved to Pennsylvania where she was a social worker for the Chester County Children and Youth Services for twelve years.

Marlborough — Maria Lucia Silva, 59, of Worcester and formerly of Marlborough, died Saturday, July 13, 2013 at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, after a long illness.

Shrewsbury — Irene E. (O’Leary) Bezdegian, 75, of Shrewsbury died peacefully Saturday July 13, 2013 in her home surrounded by her loving family after a valiant battle with cancer.

She worked in several business offices where she was responsible for many jobs because of her ability of multitasking. Irene worked for Casual Male as a packing supervisor and later at Somerville Lumber in the office. She then retired to be a full time grandmother, which brought such joy to her life; her grandchildren were truly her sunshine.

Marlborough — Eva M. “Cookie” (Garceau) Poland, 72, of Marlborough died Friday morning, July 12, 2013, at her sister Dolly’s home, after a long illness.

She worked as a coating technician at Evergreen Solar in Marlborough for five years before retiring in 2005.  She previously worked at Corning Net Optics as a test technician in Marlborough, ThermoVision in Franklin as a Senior Coding Support Technician, Corning OCA in Marlborough and Balzer’s Optical in Marlborough all for several years, she worked at Frye Boot as a fancy stitcher after 22 years.