Cyrus C. Mugford, Jr. – 64, of Milan, NH, formerly of Wilmington, Sebastian, Florida and North Reading, died Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at the Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, NH.

Born in Stoneham, MA on June 5, 1953, he was the son of the late Cyrus and Mildred Mugford. He was raised and attended school in North Reading and was a graduate of North Reading High School, Class of 1971.

Cy worked for his family owned business, CM & Sons in North Reading for many years. He was also the owner of John Zanni Pumping and Mugford Brothers Construction.

Cy was a caring husband and father and was a hard worker. He loved boat racing, he was the former owner and operator of the 2^nd Amendment off shore Race Boat. He was Florida State Champs, for three years straight and came in second in the World Championships. He was a member of SBI Racing and OPA Racing.

Family members include his loving wife of 43 years, Debbie (Grieco) Mugford; sons, Gary Mugford of Portland, Maine, Robert Mugford of Waltham and Phillip Mugford of Naples, Florida; his brother, Paul Mugford of Tewksbury; sisters, Cindy Pfeiffer of Reading and the late Janice Mugford; one granddaughter and another grandchild on the way. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

His memorial service will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Saturday, March 3 at Noon. Calling hours will be held prior to the service from 11 to Noon. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.   www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Earl  E.  Florence – 90, of Londonderry, NH and formerly of North Reading, died unexpectedly on Monday, February 19, 2018, at the Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH.

Born in Winchester, MA on November 19, 1927, he was the son of the late Earl E. and Evelyn K. (Flaherty) Florence. He was a graduate of Mitchell Military Boys School in Billerica and the Emerson School for Boys in Exeter, NH, Class of 1944.

Earl worked for and was a member of the Pipe Fitters Union Local 537 for 72 years and was a former resident of North Reading for 89 years. Earl was Past Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus in North Reading and a member of the Middlesex Pigeon Racing Club for forty years.

He loved his family and animals. He was an avid football and baseball fan, he enjoyed the stock market and politics. His favorite quote was “I am left handed but I am always right”.

Family members include his loving wife of 67 years, Doris A. (Peck) Florence; his son, Dana Florence and his wife Rose of Amherst, NH; daughters, Erlene McSweeney and her husband Joe and Kathleen Willett, all of Tewksbury, Morene Jacklin and her husband Alan of Raymond, NH and Christine Tower and her husband Steve of Tewksbury; his sister, Evelyn Doran of North Reading; 13 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Robert Florence.

Calling hours will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Friday, February 23 from 9:30 to 11 AM, followed by a 11 AM funeral service. Interment will be in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Peabody. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Catherine “Terry” (Walsh) Parsons –  78, of North Reading, passed away on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, after a lengthy illness.  Catherine was the daughter of the late Catherine Edna (Smith) and Joseph Walsh, formerly of Lee Road, North Reading.

Catherine was born in Everett and spent her early childhood there before moving to North Reading, where she lived most of her life.  She was a member of St. Theresa’s Church for about 70 years, she attended North Reading Schools and was a graduate of Reading Memorial High School in Reading.

Catherine is survived by her daughter Kathleen Parsons; granddaughter Taylor Saulnier; her sister Joanne Walsh and brothers William Walsh, David Walsh, and John Walsh. Catherine was predeceased by her youngest daughter Lauralee Parsons; her husband of 53 years, Stephen Parsons; her sister Eileen Walsh, brothers Joseph (Ned) Walsh, Jr., James Walsh and Thomas Walsh.

Calling hours will be on Tuesday, February 20^th, from 5 to 8 PM and the funeral service will be held at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Wednesday, February 21^st at 10:30 AM. www.CroswellFuneralHome.com

Edward  M. “Ted” Nichols – 90, of Reading and formerly of Wilmington, died unexpectedly at his home on Sunday, February 11, 2018.

Born in Stoneham, MA on July 23, 1927. He was the son of the late Guy E. and Esther H. (Kruschwitz) Nichols. Ted was raised and attended school in Wilmington and was a graduate of Wilmington High School, Class of 1945 and he also attended Springfield College in 1954.

He was a U.S. Navy Veteran of World War II, serving from 1945 to 1947 and  served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. He later became a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves with the Medical Corps, during the Vietnam Conflict.

Ted worked as an Assistant Chief Probation Officer in Superior Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1954 to 1987.

Family members include his loving wife of 67 years, Jean L. (Boyd) Nichols; loving sons, Edward of Kennebunk, ME, Karl of Norfolk, VA, David of Derry, NH, Peter of Wenham, Guy of Lowell, Andrew of North Reading and the late Mark Nichols. Also survived by 22 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

His funeral will be held at the Faith Lutheran Church, 360 South Main Street (Rt. 28) Andover on Friday, February 16 at 11:00 AM. Calling hours will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Thursday, February 15 from 4 to 7 PM. Interment will be in Wildwood Cemetery in Wilmington at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made in his memory to:  www.foundation4love.org.  www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Margery E. (Wigton) Diaz – 98, of North Andover, formerly of Estero, FL and North Reading, died Saturday, February 10, 2018, at the Lawrence General Hospital after a brief illness, with her daughter and granddaughter by her side. She was the beloved wife of the late Arthur J. Diaz, Sr.

Born in Albany, NY on October 19, 1919, she was the daughter of the late William and Beulah (Casner) Wigton. She was a graduate of Melrose High School and Cambridge Secretarial School in Cambridge.

Margery worked as the secretary for the Union Congregational Church in North Reading for seventy years, where she was a member of the Faith Circle and the  Monday Club. She was also a private secretary for R.M. Bradley and a member of and a secretary for the Pelican R.V. Association in Florida. She was a member of the Civilian Defense Corp, during World War II.

She loved Spelling Bees, scrabble challenges with Lori, Bingo, her owl collection and her beloved Red Sox.

Family members include her loving daughter, Melissa Standley of North Reading; sons, Arthur J. Diaz, Jr. and Donald J. Diaz, her brother-in-law, Arnold Diaz and his wife Susan, all of South Carolina; four grandchildren, Lori, Matt, Jeni and Sara; three great grandchildren, Blaize, Zoe and Phineas.

Her funeral will be held at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading on Tuesday, February 20 at 10:30 AM, calling hours will be held prior to the service at church from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to: New England Paralyzed Veterans of America, 1208 VFW Parkway, Suite 301, West Roxbury, MA 02132 or to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com