Elizabeth A. “Betty” (Sullivan) Rodgers – 79, of North Reading and formerly of Reading, died at her home on Wednesday, November 1, 2017. She was the wife of the late Alan E. Rodgers.

Born in Reading, MA on March 27, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Charles H. and Mary B. (Doucette) Sullivan. Betty was raised in Reading and attended Reading Memorial High School. She worked as a Real Estate Agent, a nursing assistant in a North Reading nursing home and home care aide.

She had a love for her family her faith and the Lord.  She was a devoted wife and mother. She enjoyed family gatherings with siblings, children and grandchildren. She kept current with politics and political discussions. Betty was a resident of North Reading for the past 57 years and a member of the Trinity Evangelical Church for many years.

Family members include her sons, Gary Rodgers of North Andover, Steven Rodgers and his wife Kristin and Michael Rodgers and his partner Susan Fino, all of North Reading and her late daughter, Linda Rodgers; brothers, Ronald, Richard and Russell Sullivan, late brothers, Charles, Jr. and Robert Sullivan; sisters, Janet White and Marilyn Healey, late sisters, Dorothy Lunt, Elinor Dooley and Judith Akin; grandchildren, Alida Rodgers, Greg Rodgers, Vanessa Rodgers, Sarah Gillespie, Erika Toronto and great grandchildren, Emma, William, Gabriel, and Lincoln.

Visiting hours will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading, on Monday, November 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, November 7 at 10:00 AM at the Trinity Evangelical Church, 105 Haverhill Street in North Reading. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to  Mystic Valley Elder Services, 300 Commercial Street, No. 19, Malden, MA 02148. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

North Reading – Derwood Willis “Derry” Hughes Jr., 85, of North Reading MA and formerly of Whitman, MA died Thursday, November 2 at the Massachusetts General Hospital after a brief illness.   Born, on January 29, 1932 in Monson, Maine Derry was the son of the late Derwood W. Sr. and Bessie (Wright) Hughes.

Derry graduated from Braintree High School in 1949 and following his service in the Army worked for the Boston Edison Company for 34 years eventually serving as a senior nuclear watch engineer at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth.   Derry was a gentle and generous soul who found joy in life’s simple blessings whether it was watching the birds splashing in his birdbath, playing his organ or sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle.  After his retirement from Boston Edison in 1991 he also loved to take trips in his RV with his “darling bride,” Germaine.  He loved Christmas and Thanksgiving because of his faith and because it meant gathering together for grace filled moments of love and laughter with his family.   Derry was a 63 year member of the First Congregational Church in Whitman and an associate member of the Union Congregational Church in North Reading.  Because of his great faith he taught his children the three R’s: Reverence for God, respect for others and responsibility for yourself.   His smile and unassuming manner meant that he was much loved by those who knew him.

Derry was married for 46 years to his wife Germaine (Berube) Hughes who predeceased him.  Family members also include his son, the Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes of North Reading, daughter Sandra E. St. Louis and husband Maurice of Abbott, Maine and son Daniel E. Hughes and wife Jacqueline of Newport, ME; a sister Elizabeth Kling of Boscowen, NH; grandchildren Sabrina Erickson, Robert, Jeffrey, Kayeigh and Justin Hughes and great-grandson Owen Hughes as well as many nephews and nieces who also adored him.

Visiting hours will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading, MA on Sunday, November 5 from 3 to 6 p.m.   Visiting hours will also be held at the Blanchard Funeral Home, 666 Plymouth Street, Whitman, MA on Tuesday, November 7 from 4 to 7 p.m.  A service of sacred goodbyes celebrating Derry’s life and the promise of everlasting life will be held at the Whitman First Congregational Church, 519 Washington Street on Wednesday, November 8 at 10:30 a.m.   In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading, MA 01864. www.CroswellFuneralHome.com

Beverly  Putnam  Boynton – 88, of North Andover, formerly of West Hartford, CT and East Orleans, died Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at Edgewood Retirement Community in North Andover. She was the loving wife of the late Henry Boynton and mother of the late David Boynton.

Born in Worcester, MA on March 1,1929, she was the daughter of the late Harold  and Dorothy (Parks) Putnam. Beverly graduated from North High School in Worcester,  attended Westbrook Junior College, Mt. Holyoke College, and graduated from Clark University in 1951. In 1975 she obtained her Master’s Degree in Special Education at Connecticut State University.

Bev worked as a social worker for the City of Worcester, MA. She was a case worker for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Philadelphia, PA. She became a school social worker in Bristol, CT in 1967. She was a Special Education/Resource Room teacher in Manchester, CT and retired from her job as Educational Diagnostician at Newington Children’s Hospital in 1993.

Bev adored her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She always noticed what needed to be done and addressed it. She was involved in a counseling ministry in Hartford, ran a support group for Peripheral Neuropathy on Cape Cod, and worked to build a skate board park and juice bar for teenagers. At Edgewood Retirement Community, she organized a church van, and formed a Gathering Table in the dining room for newcomers. Bev had a strong spiritual sense and saw God through nature, animals and her love of others.

Bev was an athlete her entire life: captain of the high school tennis team, a cracker-jack golfer, skier, and kayaker. She was an artist, whose color and design sense were flawless. She loved travel, antiques, gardening, and hosting dear friends and family. She was a member of South Church in Andover.

Family members include her son, Peter Boynton and wife Cindi, her daughter, Susan Christopherson and her husband Charles, her sister, Sandra Putnam and husband Ian Rockett, her late sister, Patricia Gaines, cherished grandchildren, David Boynton, II, Mark Boynton and Lucas  Christopherson, great grandchildren, Maya Lynn Boynton and David Boynton, III.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, November 9th at 10:00 AM at South Church, 41 Central Street in Andover. Service to be followed by a reception. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to: MSPCA Cape Cod, 1577 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA 02632. Attn: Catherine Spinelli. Arrangements are by Croswell Funeral Home, North Reading.  www.Croswellfuneralhome.com

Judith Ann “Judy” Snyder – 71, of North Reading, lost her valiant fight with cancer on October 26, 2017.  Judy passed peacefully with her beloved husband of 45 years, Robert L. Snyder by her side.  Judy was a loving wife, devoted mother, proud grandmother and an irreplaceable friend. Judy leaves behind two children, Scott R. Snyder and his lifelong companion, Angela Gordinas of North Reading, daughter, Sandra Snyder of Rhode Island and grandson, Scott Ryan Snyder II. Judy was also survived by her brother, Edmond J. English, Jr. and his wife Susan of Skowhegan, Maine, formerly of North Reading, along with many nieces, nephews and dear friends. Judy’s heart and generosity knew no bounds. She donated much of her time to help others and supported many community organizations like the Girl Scouts, North Reading Girls Softball and the North Reading Senior Center.

Family and friends invite you to celebrate her life on Wednesday, November 1 from 4 to 8 PM, at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Her funeral service will be held at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading on Thursday, November 2 at 10 AM. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Judith Snyder to the MGH Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  Gifts can be made online at www.giving.massgeneral.org or over the phone at 617-726-2200.  Checks made payable to Massachusetts General Hospital can be mailed to: MGH Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1101. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

DENNIS MARK NELSON (MSgt – USMC, Ret.). Born August 27, 1955 in Schenectady, New York, son of Richard C. Nelson and the late Janet C. (Dare) Nelson. Dennis grew up in Orlando, FL and joined the Marine Corps in 1978. After training as an electrician, he trained as a navigator and served with a C-130 Refueler Squadron in Okinawa and the United States. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1998 at MCAS Cherry Point in NC, and he and his family moved to Swanville, ME in 2009.

Dennis was… an avid sailor and loved the outdoors. He and his family (and their dogs) loved hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, spending time at the beach, and traveling. He joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2012, eventually serving as flotilla commander in Belfast, ME. At home on their small farm he enjoyed his vegetable gardens and his chickens and also enjoyed baking bread, brewing beer, and carving wooden spoons.

Beloved husband of Karen (Mahoney) Nelson, he is survived by his son, Alexander C. Nelson of Raleigh, NC; daughter, Donya J. Nelson and daughter-in-law Jessi Nelson of Yelm, WA; stepson, Jonathan B. Crane of Manchester, NH; father, Richard C. Nelson and his partner, Peggy Wilson, of Tucson, AZ; sisters, June M. Sneider of Clear Lake Shores, TX and Katherine D. Nelson of Altamonte Springs, FL; and extended family.

A memorial service will be at Riverside Cemetery, Elm St. (Rte 62), North Reading, MA on Friday, Nov. 3rd, at 11:00 AM. Following the service, there will be a lunch to celebrate Dennis’s life at VFW Post 2104, 32 Park St., North Andover, MA. All are welcome.

His family is very grateful for the outstanding care he received from Dr. David Reardon, Jennifer Stefanik, NP, and Sandra Ruland, RN, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr. M. Aziz-Sultan at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Please consider making donations in Dennis’s memory to the Neuro-Oncology Fund, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Pl., 6th Fl., Brookline, MA 02445; or to an organization Dennis truly admired and would have liked to have been a part of: Pilots N Paws, 200 West Main Street, Middletown, MD 21769. Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com