Robert P. Stanley, Sr.

Retired Manager Raytheon Corp, Andover Waltham;

Robert P. Stanley, 86, a resident of the Pawtuckeville section of Lowell, passed away peacefully Tuesday afternoon at D’Youville Senor Care with his family by his side.

He was the beloved husband of Patricia E. (Mahoney) Stanley, his wife of 65 years, who survives him.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, August 8, 1932, a son of the late Cedric W. and the late Gladys (Coughlin) Stanley, he attended Lowell schools and was a graduate of Lowell High School Class of 1951 where he served as Captain of the Varsity Track team.

A veteran of the Korean Conflict, Bob proudly served his country as a member of the U.S. Navy.

Prior to his retirement, Bob was a Manager of Incoming Products for the Raytheon Corporation where he worked for over 35 years in the Andover and Waltham offices. In addition, he was a delivery specialist with Albert the Florist in Lowell for several years.

Bob was an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan. 

Besides his wife Pat, he is survived by a daughter Kathryn G. Stanley of Bridgewater, MA; two sons Robert P. Stanley, Jr. and his wife Jeanne of Billerica and Mark C. Stanley and his wife Virginia of Leominster; seven grandchildren Robert P. Stanley, III and his wife Laurie of Tyngsboro, Brian T. Stanley and his wife Kaitlyn of West Hampton, NY, Catherine J. Gallo and her husband Charles of Lynn, Colleen A. Stanley of Billerica, Kara L. Frost and her husband Lawrence of Lowell, Jessica Flaminio and her husband John and Jason E. Stanley all of Leominster; eight great grandchildren Tyler, Miles, Teddy, Kaley, Ozzy, Cameron, Roman and Jack. He also leaves many loving nieces and nephews.

He was also the brother of the late Norma R. Johnson and nephew of the late Phyllis and Florence Stanley.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass to be celebrated Saturday morning at ST. RITA CHURCH in LOWELL at 10 o’clock followed by burial in St. Mary Cemetery, North Tewksbury. E-condolences/directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to the Doug Flutie Junior Foundation for Autism, 1001 Worchester Rd. Ste 2, Framingham, MA 01701. Arrangements by the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME – LOWELL  (978) 458-8768.   

Frederick “Fred” Noonan

Loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend;

Frederick “Fred” Noonan of Chelmsford, died Thursday, July 4th at home surrounded by his loving family.  He was the loving husband of Gwendolyn (Ghareeb) Noonan who survives him and with whom he celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary on February 3rd of this year.

Born in Liverpool, England, June 13, 1925, he was the son of the late Frederick and Matilda (Mahoney) Noonan.
 
Fred was a member of the British Merchant Marines from October 1942 to March 1962.  Fred proudly served his country during World War II.  On March 13, 1943 he was serving on the SS Empress of Canada with his brother William when the ship was torpedoed at midnight and sunk by enemy action off the coast of Africa.  He spent five days on a raft and was eventually rescued.  At 25 years of age, he was in charge of the entire boiler room of the Cunard Mauretania.

After meeting Gwen in Bermuda, he moved to Lowell.  He was very proud to become a US citizen on his wedding anniversary in 1964.  In 1966 they moved to Chelmsford and have lived in the same house.

Fred was employed as an HV/AC Manager by Beacon Companies, Bedford, MA, until his retirement in 1992. 

He was an active member of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church.  He faithfully served as an usher until his health prevented him from serving.  He served on the Parish Council for a short period of time.

Fred was very proud of his ability to build the room where his family spent many happy occasions and the same room where he sadly and peacefully passed.  He loved to cook, paint, draw, read, write poetry, watch Westerns, and share all his stories of worldwide travel and adventures over a beer.  Because of his love of soccer in his youth, he coached Chelmsford Youth Soccer for many years.  But most of all his happiest times were when he spent time with his family which included family vacations to Bermuda to the exact spot where he met Gwen in 1961.

In addition to his wife Gwen, Fred is survived by his daughter Kerri Lyn Noonan Steele and her husband Jonathan W. Steele of Arlington, MA; his daughter Lindsay Kathryn Noonan Kett and her husband Patrick M. Kett of E. Falmouth, MA; his grandchildren Alexander and Emma Steele of Arlington, MA; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews of both England and USA; his sisters-in-law Lillian Panagopoulos of Dracut; Beverly Ghareeb of Lowell; and Gale (George) Nikolopoulos of Salem.

He was predeceased by his eight siblings and their spouses.  William (Catherine) Noonan, Margaret (William) Evans, Robert (Winnie) Noonan, Elizabeth (Manuel) Zuniga, Frances (William) Brown, Anthony Noonan, Mary (Bobbie) Wright, and Terrance Noonan; and by his Godson, Stephen S. Skaff.

He was also predeceased by his loving father- and mother-in-law Joseph and Elizabeth Ghareeb; brother-in-law Paul Panagopoulos, Sr.; and Beverly’s loving soulmate Robert Sweet.

The family would like to thank Fr. Leonard Faris and Dr. Dimitre Sirakov for the love, special care, and attention they provided; Merrimack Valley Hospice; Commonwealth Nursing; the LGH volunteer and all our friends and neighbors who have provided love and support throughout the past several years.

Friends may call at ST. GEORGE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, 44 BOWERS ST. in LOWELL from 3 to 7 P.M. Wednesday. His Funeral Service will be held in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church Thursday morning at 10 o’clock followed by his Committal Services at the Westlawn Cemetery in Lowell. E-condolences at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 44 Bowers St., Lowell, MA 01854. Arrangements by the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME – LOWELL (978) 458-8768.   

Shirley M. (Vachon) FitzGerald

beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend;

Shirley M. “Chickie” (Vachon) FitzGerald, R.N., 85, of the Highlands section of Lowell died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon at Lowell General Hospital.

She was the loving wife of Leonard D. FitzGerald with whom she would have celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary yesterday, July 2nd, 2019.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, February 7, 1934, Shirley was a daughter of the late Joseph and the late Irene (McNamara) Vachon.

She attended St. Michael’s Grammar school and was a graduate of Lowell High School in the Class of 1951 where she was a member of the Girl Officers.

Shirley proudly spent most of her life raising her six children along with her husband Leonard. A communicant of St. Margaret’s Church, she was also a former member of the Blessed Virgin Sodality of her parish.

A member of the Lowell YMCA, Shirley was a great supporter of several environmental and preservation organizations in the Merrimack Valley.

In addition to quality time with her family, she enjoyed traveling with her husband, dancing, winters in Florida and trips to Hampton Beach.

Besides her husband, Shirley is survived by five children James P. FitzGerald, Kathleen FitzGerald, both of Lowell, Lynne M. FitzGerald RN, of Concord, Gail FitzGerald Ostendarp and her husband Carl of Ithaca, NY and Lisa F. Wagner and her husband Joe of North Chelmsford; 16 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; a sister-in-law Virginia FitzGerald, of Lowell; and several nieces and nephews.

She was also predeceased by her daughter Mary C. FitzGerald and her brothers William Vachon and Donald Vachon.

Friends may call at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME 276 PAWTUCKET ST. in LOWELL from 4 to 8 P.M. Friday. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her Funeral Mass to be celebrated Saturday morning at ST. MARGARET OF SCOTLAND CHURCH at 10 o’clock followed by burial in St. Patrick Cemetery. E-condolences/directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in her memory to the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust 660 Suffolk St #120, Lowell, MA 01854. Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr. (978) 458-8768.

Robert G. “Bob” Maria

Loving Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle and Local Businessman

Robert G. “Bob” Maria fell asleep in the arms of our Lord on June 29, 2019.

He was a loving husband of 56 years to Elaine Morphis Maria. Bob was born on August 2, 1939 and would have celebrated his 80th birthday next month. He was the son of the late George and Faye Maria and was a lifelong resident of Lowell, the city he so loved!

Bob was educated in Lowell Public Schools; graduating from Lowell High School in 1957. He then traveled by train for five years, as he attended Northeastern University;  He graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. In 2013 and 2015, Northeastern University honored Bob as a “Golden Graduate”. He processed into the Graduation Ceremony  simultaneously as his granddaughters were also graduating.

After college, he began working for his loving brother Fred at Central Electric Company of Lowell, MA. In 1987, Fred passed away and Bob assumed the duties of President. He renamed the company Lowell Central Electric, and expanded the business to over 45 employees. He considered ALL of them an extension of his family.

1n 1984, Bob with Elaine by his side, opened Design Lighting in North Andover, MA. The retail lighting showroom served the residential and commercial lighting needs of clients across the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore for over thirty years. It now operates as a commercial lighting office in Lowell.

Bob was a lifelong parishioner of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Lowell, MA where he served in many capacities over the last 56 years as Board member, Officer, current Parish Council President and Generous Benefactor. In 1985 he was honored with an induction into the Order of St. Ignatius, of which he was an esteemed member.

Bob was known for his amazing mathematical mind. He could rattle off numbers as if they were on the back of his hand. His family, employees, and fellow parishioners valued Bob’s sound advice and will forever remember him as a clear forward thinker and generous spirit. He was a true Pillar of the Community.

Bob, with his wife Elaine, cherished family time. He especially enjoyed traveling across the globe with his children and grandchildren. As busy as he was running several businesses, he always made time for his family.

Beside his wife Elaine, Bob is survived by his four children:

Donna and her husband George Christopulos of Andover, John and his wife Stacie of Lowell, Lynda and her husband Dr. Nicholas Rizos of Bedford, N.H., Julie and her husband Mike Grillakis of Lowell.

His eight grandchildren which were his pride and joy:

Maria Christopulos and her fiancé Christopher Kaminski, Kanella Christopulos, Georgina Christopulos, Christopher Rizos, Robert Rizos, George Grillakis, Elayna Grillakis and Julia Maria.

He is also survived by his dear sister, Elizabeth Gavriel of Dracut, MA and his many nieces, nephews, godchildren and cherished cousins and Aunt in Indianapolis. Robert was predeceased by his brother Frederick Maria, and sisters Josephine Nackel and Mary Saba.

Our family would like to thank his amazing doctors at Lahey Clinic; Dr. Richard Patten and Dr. Beth Bouthot. We would like to offer a special thank you to the dedicated team at DaVita Dialysis in Burlington, where he received his treatments and polished his Sudoku skills!

Friends may call at ST. GEORGE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, 44 BOWERS ST. in LOWELL from 3 to 7 P.M. Tuesday. His Funeral Service will be held in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church Wednesday morning at 10 o’clock followed by his Committal Services at the Westlawn Cemetery in Lowell. E-condolences at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 44 Bowers St., Lowell, MA 01854. Arrangements by the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME – LOWELL (978) 458-8768.