Joe Noonan (lovingly called “Sunny” or “Banana Joe” by his family), 86, of North Reading and formerly of Malden, died late Tuesday, January 29^th, 2019, surrounded by his 5 children, and the love of his life, wife of 66 years Mary Jo (Leneski) Noonan.

Forever an optimist and always in search of his next project, Joe found his first love in Mary at age 12 when they were introduced by his sister. He found his second love at age 21, when he joined Painters District Council 35, and began his work with H. Newton Marshall Painting Inc. eventually buying out the company after 33 years in service and carrying it through to its 100^th anniversary. He loved his work so much, he always said, “he never worked a day in his life.”

He went on to be involved in the commercial painting of countless iconic Boston colleges, hospitals, and skyscrapers. He once painted Dave Maynard’s car by accident, earning him a mention on Maynard’s radio show that morning. Around age 50 he pursued one of his greatest passions, flying, and took up lessons in a Cessna Aircraft, achieving a solo flight, that was flown over his home in North Reading. Needless to say, his favorite part of vacationing became the plane ride. He and Mary also enjoyed many years of square-dancing, dancing their way across the country including being part of the largest square-dance under the Astro Dome.

In addition to his myriad of life accomplishments—a veteran of the Korean Conflict and an excellent Bingo player in later years, Joe enjoyed tending to his tomato garden, fixing up his backhoe, and a great cup of black coffee.

Joe impacted the lives of all those around him, not the least of which include his 5 children, Fred Noonan and wife Diane of Florida, Neal Noonan of Florida, Doug Noonan and wife Trisha of Virginia, Judi Poirier and husband David of Massachusetts, and Caryn Noonan of New Hampshire; as well as 14 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, 1 great great granddaughter, 2 grand dogs and 2 great grand dogs who really loved getting scratches from their Grandpie. He was loved so much and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

His funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 2 at 11:30 AM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Calling hours will be held prior to the service from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Salvation Army or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. www.croswellfuneralhome.com.

Tina Marie (Celino) Polcari – of Reading, 101 years old, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2019. Besides taking care of her family, she also worked for Raytheon for 39 years as an inspector for many defense projects. One of her other projects included the Apollo Moon Mission. She was the beloved wife of the late Carmen Polcari. Survived by her daughter Sister Elaine Polcari S.S.N.D.; her son, Gerard Polcari and his wife Anna Maria; her son, Edward and his wife Gayle; her daughter, Andria Polcari Kennedy and her husband John; her sister, Rita McNeil of North Reading. Predeceased by three brothers, Frank, James and Edward Celino, her mother Lucy Agnes (Bruno) Celino and her father Frank Pasquale Celino. She had a special place in her heart for her grandchildren, David and Gerard Polcari, Kimberly Griffin, Tina Clark, Linda Polcari and Gianna Polcari; great grandchildren, Joseph, Anna Grace, Cira, Anthony, Luca and Vincent. Also survived by many devoted nieces and nephews.

Her funeral will be held from the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Friday, January 25 at 9:15 AM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter St. (Rt. 62), North Reading at 10:30 AM. Calling will be on Thursday, January 24 from 4 to 8 PM. Burial will be in Forest Glen Cemetery in Reading. Memorial donations may be made in Tina’s name to St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter Street, North Reading, MA 01864. www.croswellfuneralhome.com                                          

Benjamin F. Sands, Jr. – 85, a long-time resident of North Reading, passed away Thursday after a brief illness. Known as Grandpa Ben, Dad and Benny, he was the glue that held his family and friends together. His support, love and kindness extended beyond his five children, their spouses and his grandchildren to his long-time friends, new friends and total strangers. Ben was a standout coach, volunteer, fundraiser, alumnus and community member, all the while humble and humorous. He had a remarkable ability to befriend anyone and to bring people together. He built and maintained lifelong friendships including those with his high school classmates, fellow Marines, fraternity brothers, church community and fellow North Reading residents.

Ben graduated from Reading High School in 1950 and was NROTC at Tufts, where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1954. More significantly, at Tufts he met the love of his life and wife of 64 years, Judith L. Lundegren. They were married in 1954, moved to Virginia and California for Ben’s service in the US Marines, then settled in North Reading in 1957 to raise their five children. Ben and Judy’s most treasured retreat was their cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee, which hosted a mix of friends and family all summer long. Ben was known for initiating large card games, teaching everyone to water ski, organizing huge family dinners and captaining boat rides. Lovers of nature, Ben and Judy donated 92 acres of land in Marlow, New Hampshire to the Monadnock Conservancy in 2013.

In North Reading, Ben was an active community member in both town government and youth sports. He served as Selectman, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and Chairman of the Housing Authority. In the 1960s, he led the initiative for what would become North Reading Youth Hockey. He was a youth hockey coach until 1977 when he took over the North Reading High School team, taking them to the state finals at the Boston Garden in 1978. A loyal Tufts Jumbo, Ben coached his alma mater’s club hockey team, and brought it to varsity status. He coached from 1986 – 1992 and was named ECAC Division III Coach of the Year in 1988. His dedication to Tufts continued, serving as President of the Jumbo Club (2000-2002), Class Reunion Committee Chair, and Vice President of the Alumni Association. In 2001 Ben founded Friends of Tufts Hockey to protect the varsity status of the hockey team. Ben stayed involved in Tufts Hockey by scouting at local rinks and heading up fundraising efforts. Tufts awarded Ben its Distinguished Service Award in 2001. The Tufts Hockey team further honored him in 2009, naming the Tufts Hockey locker room for him. In 2018 at the Tufts Hall of Fame ceremony, Ben was awarded the first annual Tufts Brown and Blue award in recognition of his significant contributions to Tufts’ Athletics.

Ben was not only a dedicated coach, but an accomplished athlete himself. After his college hockey days as a defenseman at Tufts, he played squash and was a ranked tennis player. Ben was an early enthusiast of triathlons in the 1980s before moving on to rowing, then competed for over ten years in the Ernestine Bayer event during the Head of the Charles. He continued to row in the waters around Melvin Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee throughout his life.

Ben was also a devoted humanitarian. A member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading since 1957, Ben served in a variety of roles including Senior Warden and Church Clerk. Ben was always ready to help, whether it was tidying up for an upcoming wedding, visiting church members or spearheading a fundraising activity. For 13 years, Ben and Judy’s main humanitarian focus was in Guatemala. They raised money and collected toys, then traveled there each year to deliver them to impoverished children.

In addition to his wife Judy, Ben leaves his children Thyra Sherman and her husband Andy of Andover, Biff (Benjamin) Sands and his wife Brenda of Chester, NH, Douglas Sands and his wife Marie of Manchester, NH, Carey (CB) Sands-Bohrer and her husband Tom of Concord, MA, and Kim Chabot and her husband Mark of Suwanee, Georgia. He also leaves twelve grandchildren: Jay, Brad and Liz Sherman; Benjamin Sands and Taylor Sands-Marcinkowski; Russell, Kevin, Eric and Brian Sands; and Sally, Sabrina and Si Bohrer; as well as two step-grandchildren, Nick and Amanda Chabot. He also leaves his brother, Loring B. Sands and many nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, January 18 from 3-7 PM, with services on Saturday at 10 AM . Both visiting hours and the service will be at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 95 Woburn Street in Reading, MA. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Vamos Adelante, a nonprofit serving indigenous families in rural in Guatemala. Checks can be sent to 41 W. 655 Main St. Road, Elburn, Illinois, 60119. Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Janice L. (Vaughn) Gray – 89, of Lowell and formerly of Sparta, WI, died unexpectedly at her home on Thursday, January 10, 2019. She was the beloved wife of the late David S. Gray. Born in La Crosse, WI on March 31, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Haughton G. and Ethel J. (McCuen) Vaughn. She was a graduate of La Crosse Logan High School in WI and graduated with a B.S. at The Stout Institute in Menomonie, WI. Jan worked in the Walnut Room at for Marshal Fields in Chicago, did food prep for the TV show “What’s Cooking” in San Diego, was a self Day Care provider, was supervisor of the clean room at Haemonetics Corp., and was owner of From the Hearth Bakery in Merrimack, NH.

Jan was funny, quick witted and resilient. She had an independent spirit and determination to strive for excellence. Jan took care of others in her family, community and church.  She was a baker, quilt maker, enjoyed reading about the civil war, history and many other topics. Jan was an organizer and a hard worker in harvest supper, cookie sales and soup supper for the Sparta United Methodist Church.  Family members include her loving sons, Stephen Gray and his wife Joannie of Maynard and Alan Gray and his wife Maria of North Reading and the late Jonathan Richard who died shortly after his birth; her daughter, Lisa Gray and her husband Leor Zolman of North Reading; 8 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Her services will be private to be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the American Red Cross or to Sparta United Methodist Church , 210 N. Court St., Sparta, WI 54656. Arrangements are under the direction of the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

KENNETH W. CASTINE-  94, of North Reading and formerly of Reading, died Friday, January 4, 2019 at Care One in Wilmington. He was the beloved husband of the late Diane (Shulkey) Castine.

Born in Groton, CT on November 29, 1924. He was the son of the late Francis W. and Catherine R. (La Fare) Castine. He was a graduate of Reading High School, Class of 1947.

Ken was a U.S. Navy Veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he served from 1943 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1953. Ken was an insurance agent for John Hancock for over 25 years and a resident of North Reading for the past 62 years.

Ken had a great love for his family and enjoyed spending time with them. He loved to work in his yard, he enjoyed coffee time at McDonald’s and the Last Corner. Ken loved dancing and watching sports.

Family members include his loving daughter, Cynthia A. Savioli and her husband Vincent; brothers, Robert, Allen and Dennis Castine and the late William and David Castine; sisters, Marilyn and the late Norma Castine; granddaughters, Lisa Savioli-Dabrieo and Tina Savioli-Montross; great grandchildren, Joseph and Lindsey Dabrieo; and many nieces and nephews.

His Funeral will be held on Thursday, January 10 at 11:00 AM, calling hours will be held prior to the service from 9:00 to 10:45 AM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Interment will be held in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com