Thomas G. Carbone – 31, of North Reading, died unexpectedly at his home on Sunday, April 24, 2016.
Born in Melrose, MA on February 2, 1985. Tom attended North Reading Schools and was a lifelong resident. He worked for Paramont Movers in Woburn. He had a heart of Gold and he would help anybody out, on the drop of a dime. He loved his family and friends.
Tom was a very good candlepin bowler and he loved riding dirt bikes and quads. He enjoyed camping up the White Mountains, baseball, fishing and having a good time with family and friends. Tom was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose in North Reading and he was born on Ground Hog Day.
Family members include his loving parents, Stephen L. “Jabone” Carbone and Kathleen “Katie” (O’Dea) Carbone; his brother, Phillip Everett Carbone, all of North Reading; his Goddaughter, Lylah Rose and his little buddy James Cheney; he is survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews; he was the grandson of the late Phil and Ann Denbow, Everett L. Carbone and Tom and Sue O’Dea.
A Celebration of his Life will be held at the North Reading Moose Hall, 140 North Street in North Reading, on Sunday, June 26 from 2 to 6 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements are by Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Foster E. Hallett – 77, of North Reading, formerly of Everett, died at his home on Saturday, April 23, 2016.
Born in Revere, MA on January 9, 1939. He was the son of the late Ross C. Hallett and Alma L. (Colby) Hallett. Foster was raised in Everett and was a graduate of Everett Vocational High School. Foster was a U.S. Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam Conflict, he served from 1956 to 1960.
He was a mechanic for Transitron Electronics, General Tire, American Power Devices,
Engineering and Analytical Center (FDA). Continue reading Foster E. Hallett →

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.