Paul  F. Steed, Jr. – 68, of Billerica and formerly of Chelsea, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. He was the husband of the late Kathleen A. (Burke) Steed.

Born in Chelsea, MA on July 20,1954, he was the son of the late Paul F., Sr. and Theresa Loretta (Crowley) Steed. He was raised in Chelsea, he attended St. Rose School and was a graduate of Chelsea High School. Later he received his LADC License for Alcohol and Drug Counseling. He has been a resident of Billerica for the past five years.

Paul worked for the Pine Street Inn for 34 years. He started as a counselor in the Men’s locker room and became further invested in his work. He served at the Men’s Inn and Holy Family Inn as a full-time Counselor, Guest Service Specialist, and a Shift Supervisor. He also performed similar work helping people while employed at St. Francis House. He mentored dozens of employees and supported thousands of shelter guests in his time at the Inn.

Paul was special for so many reasons. He was the most compassionate and patient man. He lived his life helping the less fortunate. He worked countless hours to make sure others had a safe place to sleep and eat. He also lived his life for his family. He enjoyed seeing his 3 daughters and his 9 grandchildren as often as he could. His best days were spent watching the grandkids having fun.

Paul enjoyed golfing, going to a Red Sox game, watching the Patriots from his recliner, and going to see a good movie. Whenever you saw Paul, he was wearing some type of Boston sports gear. He was an avid sports guy! He enjoyed taking his grandkids to the zoo, the farm, bowling, to the movies and to the park. He was happy as long as everyone else around him was too.

Paul was the most laid back “one day at a time” kind of guy, and his patience and grace for the chaotic world around him was a strength. This is what made him a perfect fit for his job and role as a Pa to his grandkids.

Family members include his loving daughters, Kelly (Steed) DeSousa, Paula (Steed) Dwire and her husband Jesse and Lisa (Steed) Levine and her husband Joel; sisters, Ann Marie (Steed) Scott and her husband Warren and Mary Ann (Steed) Williams; niece, Lianne Martin and nephews, Dennis and Michael Williams; grandchildren, Ashley, Lucia and Noah DeSousa; Addison, Jack and Luke Dwire and Max, Jace and Zoey Levine.

Visitation will be held on Friday, January 27 from 3:00 to 5:45 PM, followed by a Memorial service at 5:45 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to: Pine Street Inn Shelters, 444 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118. https: //pinestreetinn.org/ www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Joyce E. Loud – 92, of Wilmington, Tewksbury and formerly of North Reading for many years, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at Bear Mountain of Andover.

Born in Wakefield, MA on August 25, 1930, she was the daughter of the late George L. and Jessie G. (Flanders) Loud. Joyce was raised in North Reading, she attended the L.D. Batchelder School and was a graduate of Reading Memorial High School.

Joyce worked for many years as a teller for the former Middlesex County Bank and BayBank, she also worked as a receptionist for Dr. Hoyt, all in North Reading. Joyce was a longtime member of the Union Congregational Church and the Eastern Star in North Reading. She also was a member of the Grange in North Reading and Billerica. Joyce enjoyed knitting and various home crafts.

Family members include her loving sister, Peggy L. Surrette; her nephew, Peter Surrette and his wife Jane; her grandnephew, Paul Surrette; her grandniece and Godchild, A.J. Surrette.

Her Funeral will be held on Friday, January 20 at 11:00 AM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, prior to the service. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

M. Jean Lastinger – 89, of North Reading, passed away at her home, surrounded by her family on Monday, January 9, 2023.

Born in Winchester, MA on May 23, 1933, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Helen F. (MacKay) Smith. She was a lifelong resident of North Reading. Jean attended North Reading schools and was a graduate of Reading Memorial High School. She was a member of the Union Congregational Church.

She worked as a Mortgage Financial Assistant for the John Hancock Life Insurance Company in Wakefield, E.I. and S. Industries in Stoneham and the Abbott Shoe Store in North Reading.

Jean always made everyone feel welcome. She always greeted with a hug and a  smile. Then came the kind words and laughter sharing her joy for life. She liked spending time with family and friends. She loved her 14 acre farm in North Reading,  spending many hours with horses, steer, bunnies, cats, dogs and Donald the goat. Jean loved to sing, dance, play the piano or guitar. She loved hiking at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester with her family, special Dunkin morning coffee time with friends and yearly New Year Eve fun in New Hampshire with the Elvis Impersonator.

She enjoyed many days at sporting events supporting her grandchildren whenever possible. Regardless of her disease, her grandchildren were the spark in her eye and smile on her face. She especially loved her ice cream at Richardson’s. She always found the good in everyone.

Family members include her loving daughters, Brenda Callagy and her companion Thoma Grzejka of North Reading, Patti Lessard  and former husband James of Stoneham and Susan Lastinger and her companion Brian Murray of Manchester, NH; her brother William Smith (little brother 87) of North Reading and his former wife Linda Smith; 6 grandchildren, Benjamin and Jess Hodgkins, Danielle and husband Benjamin Gilde, Amber and husband James Gardner, Gerry Callagy, Alexa and husband Adam Jaillet and Tori and husband David Kottwitz; 10 great grandchildren, Adelynn, Isaac and Eliana Gilde, Abigail, Jacob and Luke Gardner, Austin J., and Bryson R. Lessard, Charliee R. Jaillet and Athena R. Lessard-Kottwitz.

Her funeral will be held on Saturday, January 14 at 10:00 AM at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill St., North Reading. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 13 from 4 to 7 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow St., North Reading. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in her memory to: Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or to National Wildlife Federation (support.nwf.org) www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Edward A. O’Brien – 66, of Andover and formerly of North Reading, passed away unexpectedly on January 8^th 2023, with his wife and children by his side. He was a Retired Fire Chief of the North Reading Fire Department.

Ed is survived by his wife Stacey, his son Sean O’Brien his fiancé Kate Maguire, his daughter Hilary Pennacchio and her husband Michael, and his brother William O’Brien and his wife Birgitta O’Brien. He is predeceased by his brother Nelson P O’Brien, his sister Gaye O’Brien. He was the son of Nelson and Mildred Messenger.

Ed was born in Bangor, Maine on July 9, 1956 and moved to North Reading as a young child. Ed graduated from the North Reading High School in 1974, and completed his education with a B.S. in Fire Science and Protection from Salem State in 1991. He was appointed to the North Reading Fire Department as a Call Firefighter in 1974, and appointed to the permanent department in 1977. He rose through the ranks becoming a Captain in 1991 and then Chief of Department in 1993 until his retirement in 2005. He was a local labor leader in that time and was the President of North Reading Firefighters Local 1857 from 1980 until 1988, he was very proud of his service as the local president. He was a founding member of the Metro-Boston Critical Incident Stress Management Team which provides peer assistance to first responders after traumatic events, he volunteered for the team for 20 years. As part of the CISM team Ed responded to the Worcester Cold Storage Fire as well as the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Ed was a proud member of the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and International Association of Firefighters. He was also a member of the National Ski Patrol.

In addition to his professional duties, Ed was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and surfing with his lifelong friend Vincent Vullo. He enjoyed spending time working on his home and spending time with his wife Stacey. He and Stacey had the opportunity to travel to many places in his retirement, in which time he also was the owner of Cambridge Used Bicycles, a popular bicycle store and repair shop on McGrath Highway.

He was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in 2015, which is a rare neurological disorder of the brain. Visitation and memorial service will be held at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Tuesday, January 17^th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CurePSP, 1216 Broadway, FL 2, New York NY, 10001.

John R. Mannheim, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2022 in the presence of his beloved wife, Claire. He leaves his daughter Sidney and husband James, daughter Stacy and husband Ross, his brother Charles and wife Shirley, his brother Paul and wife Susan, as well as many nieces and nephews in our extended family.

John was a graduate of Amherst College and a fundraiser for the Class of 1953. He enjoyed the reunions and celebrations with many friends over the last 70 years. He also attended Andover Newton Seminary. John worked for the YMCA, taught at North Reading High School and negotiated teachers’ contracts for the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

From 1971 to 2001 John worked as a union negotiator for the Massachusetts Teachers Association. As an MTA advocate, John negotiated hundreds of teacher contracts and conducted organized campaigns to mobilize and activate teachers. He was a highly skilled negotiator who had the respect of both labor and management as a man with impeccable integrity. John was an inspirational and highly motivating force who played a major role in the growth of the teacher’s union movement in the northeast part of Massachusetts.

As a resident of Concord since 1976, John was a strong advocate for peace, justice and the environment. He was the first male member of the Concord Peace Vigil that began in 1991. Our banner read “We walk with those who suffer because of war”.

He was very active in the Cambridge branch of the Veterans for Peace and participated in all of their peace efforts beginning in 2003. John supported “grass roots actions for peace,” also based in Concord for many years.

He was an active member of CREW, “Citizens Research and Environmental Watch”. This local group challenged Nuclear Metals/Starmet to stop producing the depleted uranium penetrator that was used in all of the Gulf Wars and also used in Serbia. John helped CREW get the Starmet site declared a superfund site.

John so enjoyed his family and he always had humorous stories to tell his friends after the conclusion of the Concord Peace Vigil each Friday. He always had a smile on his face no matter how difficult the situation was for him. He loved the Cincinnati Reds and he also was a Boston Celtics fan.

His efforts and his energy will be missed by all of us.

John is a man who is easy for all of us to love.

A Celebration of John’s life will be held in the spring on April 29, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Holy Family Parish (formerly St. Bernard’s Church), 12 Monument Square, Concord, MA.  In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of John may be made to a charity of your choice. Burial will be private. Arrangements are under the direction of the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com