William  D.  Steph, Jr. – 92, of North Reading, formerly of East Boston and Malden, passed away on Saturday, May 17, 2025. He was the beloved husband of over 67 years to Rosemarie (Coviello) Steph; loving father of Diane E. Daigle and her husband Dan of Tewksbury, William G. Steph and his wife Sheila of Newton, NH and Robert M. Steph and wife Teresa of Las Vegas, NV; devoted grandfather of Anthony and Nicholas Steph; also survived by many nieces and nephews; he will be missed by his longtime friends, Thomas Murphy and Larry Cataldo. He will be joining his mom Ethel (Accusato) Steph, very special cousin Thomas Nunes and friend Babe Wacenske.

He was a longtime employee of Sears and Roebucks in Boston for thirty five plus years. He also worked as a custodian for the North Reading Public Schools.

Visitation will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Saturday, May 31 at 8:45 to 10:15 AM, followed by an 11:00 AM Funeral Mass at St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter Street, North Reading. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. In lieu of flowers Spirituals will be welcomed. He was a U.S. Army Veteran of the Korean Conflict.

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 Margaret Mary (Tyrell) Donnelly -94 years old of North Reading and Formerly of Talmage, Kansas, died at the Kaplan Hospice House in Danvers on April 30^th, 2025. Wife of the late Francis Edward Donnelly.

Born In Talmage, Kansas on May 16, 1930, she was the daughter of the late Benjamin and Margaret Mary (Curren) Tyrell.

Margaret was a graduate of Abilene Kansas High School, Class of 1948 and Saint Francis School of Nursing in Wichita, KS in 1951. She worked at Symmes Hospital in Arlington, New England Memorial Hospital, Winchester Hospital and Bon Secours Hospital as a Registered Nurse.

She was a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was an avid knitter,  sewer and cross stitcher. She enjoyed flowers, arts and crafts, cooking and baking and cake decorating.  She loved visiting historical and scenic landmarks, she traveled to many states and up until April 28th 2025, she did her own cooking and baking she loved to read books. Margaret has been a resident of North Reading since 1958. She was a Girl Scout Leader and President of the local Chapter of Girl Scouts.

Family members include her sons, Michael F. Donnelly, Thomas Donnelly and James P. Donnelly; her daughters, Deborah Anne Donnelly and Diane Barbara McLaughlin; late brothers, Francis Tyrell, Kenneth Tyrell and Woodrow Tyrell; her late sister, Leta Tyrell Sword; grandchildren, Alayne Donnelly, Kevin Donnelly, Nick Kulak and partner Katie MacDonald, Patrick Donnelly, Kyle McLaughlin and Ryan McLaughlin and great grandchildren, Madison Kulak and Nicholas Kulak, Jr.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.  Croswell Funeral Home 19 Bow St., North Reading is in charge of arrangements.  www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Ernest  J. Claughton – 85, of North Andover and formerly of Bethel, VT, and Gloucester, MA, passed away on Friday, May 2, at the High Pointe House in Haverhill.

Born in Boston, MA on January 4, 1940. He was the son of the late Stephen and Louise (Camuso) Claughton. He was raised in and attended North Reading Schools. He was a US Army Veteran, serving from 1959-1962 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division.

He was a union electrician for IBEW Local 103 for over 30 years, but his hobbies were creative. He was a talented artist. He also loved gardening-he was into organic gardening long before it was popular and he was so proud of his blueberry bushes! He was a member of the orchid society. He also loved building and always had ongoing projects. He loved his pets, he used to say he had a farm, which consisted of, Scottish Highland cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys, cats and dogs.

Family members include his loving son David Claughton; daughters, Pamela Claughton, Jane Barbagallo, Teresa Booth (Jonathan), June Claughton- Channen (Matthew); sister, Louise Jordan; Sister-in law Carol Claughton; Grandchildren Nicole Barbagallo, Taylor Hall (Jared), Olivia Booth, Cody and Travis Claughton, and his dog Huckleberry and his cat Donald. He was predeceased by his grandson Dylan Claughton, sister Dianne Gill and brother Stephen Claughton.

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 9, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed by a Prayer Service at 11:00 AM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow St., North Reading. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the MSPCA. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Hartnell J. Bartlett – 91, of North Reading, formerly of East Hartford, CT and Hanover, died Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at Winchester Hospital.

Born in Boston, MA on December 11, 1933. He was the son of the late Frank and Dorothy (Boynton) Bartlett. He was a graduate of North Quincy High School. He attended Tufts University and was a graduate of Bentley College in Waltham.

Hartnell was a U.S. Army Veteran of the Korean War, he was a SP3 and served from 1954 to 1957.

He was an Accountant for the American Mutual Insurance Company and the Wausau Insurance Company for many years.

He was a Call Firefighter for the Hanover Fire Department and later for the North Reading Fire Department for 33 years. He served as a Selectman in North Reading and was a member of the Finance Committee. He was a member of Boston Sparks, North Reading Masonic Lodge, Aleppo Temple Fire Brigade, Mount Carmel Eastern Star and a long time member of the Union Congregational Church.

His pride and joy was his family, he was fully devoted to his wife of seventy years. He had a lot of pride in his grandsons and his great grandson. He loved golf and shuffle board.

Family members include his loving wife of 70 years, Nancy A. (Barnes) Bartlett; his sons, Glenn Bartlett and his wife Jenny and David S. Bartlett and his partner Tony;  his daughter, Marilyn  Bartlett and her partner Tom; his grandsons, Michael Bartlett, Brandon Bartlett and Shane Bartlett and his great grandson, Chase Bartlett. He was the brother of the late Frank Bartlett, Jr.

His memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 10 at 11:00 AM at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Shriners Children’s Hospital. Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Joseph R. Veno – 78, of North Reading and formerly of Revere, passed away at his home on Sunday, April 27, 2025, after a lengthy illness.

Born in Boston, MA on December 8, 1946, son of the late Joseph A. and Lillian (Mailiette) Veno.  Joe was a graduate of North Reading High School, Class of 1964. He was a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran of the Vietnam Conflict, he was an EN2 and served from 1965 to 1969. He received Vietnam Service Medal with a Bronze Star.

He was a Reading Police Officer and Safety Officer, he retired at age 55. Joe has been a resident of North Reading for over 70 years and a member of St. Theresa’s Parish for many years.

Joe served on many Boards for the town of North Reading. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen for 15 years, the Community Planning Commission for 4 years,  Veteran’s Affair Commission for 20 years, Recycling Commission for 4 years,  North Reading Housing Authority for 10 years, Veteran’s Memorial Commission for 20 years, Commission on Disabilities for 10 years, Council on Aging for 15 years and the Mystic Valley Elder Services for 15 years.

Joe was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Andover Sportsman Club and Knights of Columbus, where he was a 4^th Degree Knight.

Joe loved gardening, traveling and was a NASCAR Fan. He coached Youth Football for 15 years and was the President of the North Reading Touchdown Club.

Family members include his loving wife of 54 years, Dianna (Sargent) Veno; his sons, Joseph A. Veno and his wife Nicole and Jonathan M. Veno and his wife Elizabeth; grandchildren, Jessica Prenney, Alicia and Abigail Veno. He was the brother of the late Donna Veno.

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 2 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Graveside services will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 11:30 AM in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. A funeral procession will leave the Croswell Funeral Home at 11:15 AM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com