Marguerite A. “Peggye” (Kirby) Bauer – 109, of Charlton, formerly of Reading and St. Louis, Missouri, died peacefully on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, surrounded by her family, at the Overlook Masonic Home in Charlton. She was the beloved wife of the late Fred H. Bauer.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 6, 1912, she was the daughter of the late Alfred J. and Adeline (Ashton) Kirby.  She was a graduate of Beaumont High School in St. Louis.

Peggye was a retired private secretary for the Retail Credit Company in Missouri. She moved to Reading in 1999 and to Charlton in 2010. She was a member of the Union Congregational Church in North Reading and a 61 year member of The Order of Eastern Star (Mount Carmel Chapter, No. 230 in North Reading and Hope Chapter, No. 313 in St. Louis).

Peggye was someone that anytime you saw her she was full of life, smiling and always curious.  Her smile would light up a room and she told so many stories with such joy. She loved to sing and was a member of a singers group that visited nursing homes who brought happiness to so many.  She loved to dance and enjoyed many Shriner’s dances with her late husband. She loved crocheting afghans, reading and spending time with her family.

Family members include her late son Fred Kirby Bauer; she is survived by her daughter- in- law, Kay J. Bauer;  late siblings Alfred and George Kirby (twin brother), Grace Radford, Ruth Johns, and Mary Jane Maxwell. She was the loving grandmother to Kim Bauer, Jan Rasche and Jill DeCourcy; cherished great grandmother to Keith Carl and his wife Kendra, Andrew Ratcliffe and his wife Bethany, Brit Ratcliffe, Kelley Cleary and her husband David, Ashley and Matthew DeCourcy and special great-great grandmother to Ryan and Jacob Carl, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, September 9th at 10:30 A.M. at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading . There will be no calling hours. Interment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Memorial Fund at Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street, North Reading, MA 01864 or to Mt. Carmel Chapter No. 230, Order of Eastern Star, to Sally Putney, 20 Riverside Drive, North Reading, MA 01864.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will be taking precautions including:

• Making hand sanitizer and masks available
• Masks will be required
• For the safety of all, we have decided not to have a receiving line or to congregate as a group afterward.
• The service will be live streamed using the link below for those unable to attend.

Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading, MA  01864

www.croswellfuneralhome.com

John  S.  Doucette – 79, of Reading and formerly of North Reading, died at his home on Monday, August 23, 2021.

Born in Reading, MA on January 10, 1942, he was the son of the late Sylvester and Alice Doucette. John was a graduate of North Reading High School, Class of 1959. He was an exceptional athlete, especially in baseball and football. He was awarded the first all-around sportsman award.

John was a U.S. Air Force Vietnam Veteran. He was A1C and he served from 1960 to 1964.

John worked for AVCO on the Apollo Antenna Program; Sanders Associates in Nashua, NH as a Technician; AAA for several years and in his later years as a machinist for before retiring at age 58.

He was an enthusiastic Boston sports fan. His family remembers fondly of his devotion to “his teams”, even when they made him yell at his TV Set. John loved to travel especially to New Hampshire with family during vacations. He was a devout Catholic and active in his church.

John loved his family. Not only did he love spending time with his children and grandchildren, but he also cherished his many nieces and nephews. John also had several friends, he enjoyed spending time socially with Maureen, Ed and the folks where he lived.

John has been a resident of Reading for the past 25 years and was a member of St. Agnes Church.

Family members include his daughters, Janette A. Doucette of Virginia Beach, VA, Cathy J. Doucette of Billerica and Sandra L. Williams of NH; sons, Michael J. Doucette and his wife Colleen of Ashby, MA, John C. Doucette and his wife Joelle of Georgia and the late Paul J. Doucette; his sister, Nancy O’Donnell of Stoneham, he was the brother of the late Robert Doucette and Barbara Winters.; 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren; John also continued to have a special friendship with his former wife Diana.

Private services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. croswellfuneralhome.com

Steven R. Wilson – 73, of Tewksbury and formerly of North Reading for many  years, died Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at the Lowell General Hospital.

Born in Stoneham, MA on November 13, 1947. He was the son of the late Claude H. and Mildred I. (Anderson) Wilson. Steve was raised and attended school in North Reading, he was a graduate of North Reading High School, Class of 1965.

Steve was a U.S. Army Vietnam Era Veteran, he was a SP5 and served from 1966 to 1969. He was stationed in Korea for 18 months.

Steve worked for Raytheon for several years, he retired in Tewksbury surrounded by many friends.

Steve was a member and the organist for the Martin’s Pond Union Baptist Church in North Reading for many years. He was a very talented musician, he formed the musical group “Sunset”, which was well known in the Merrimack Valley.

He is survived by his loving brother David R. Wilson of Wilmington and two cousins.

Graveside service will be held in Riverside Cemetery, in North Reading on Tuesday, September 14 at 11:00 AM. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Martin’s Pond Union Baptist Church, 4 Cogswell Road, North Reading, MA 01864. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Roy Ford  – 87, of Bristol, NH and formerly of North Reading, MA, died unexpectedly on August 9, 2021. Loving husband of the late Patricia A. (Whitney) Ford.

Born in Newton, MA on July 19, 1934, he was the son of the late Robert Alexander Ford and Violet E. (Coombs) Ford. He was a graduate of Needham High School, Class of 1952 and Mass Maritime Academy, Class of 1955. He served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy from 1955 to 1958.

Roy was Maritime Electrical Engineer. He worked for Varian Associates Bomac Industries from 1958 to 1965 and Honeywell Bull from 1965 to 1992. Roy was a builder, not in the traditional sense of building commercially but rather for himself and his family. He was always active in some construction project from the boat he built as a teenager, to the Camp, to major house renovations from the ground up in MA, and then the Inn, along with any of his kid’s homes wherever they were located. He was committed to family, his wife of many years along with his children and his many grandchildren, supporting each on their unique paths in life. There were always plans scheduled to be somewhere for something to participate, congratulate and support, be that a christening, birthday, graduation from pre-school to college, sporting events, music concerts or marching band competition.

Roy enjoyed playing the piano since a young age and sharing that activity with his grandchildren. He enjoyed camping with his family, the Boy Scouts and travels to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. He was always up for an adventure traveling cross country several times, boating and fishing in Alaska and white water rafting in Maine. He enjoyed being on the Ocean, not the beach, with his time on several boats that took him from Maine to Florida. Woodworking was an activity he enjoyed on both a large and small scale, whether framing a house, building a staircase, refinishing furniture, or building a shelf. He enjoyed playing a good prank on those he knew well and was known to be the lead instigator in many summer picnic water fights. He has been a resident Bristol, NH for the past 20 years and was member of Our Lady of Grace Church.

Family members include sons, Robert Ford and his wife Catherine of Stratford, CT, Thomas Ford and his wife Lisa of Bristol, NH, Daniel Ford and his wife Susan of Reading, MA , and John Ford and his wife Sandy of Anchorage Alaska; son- In- Law Lawrence Hohl of Webster, NY; late daughters, Mary Jo Hohl of Webster, NY and Lisa Marie Ford of North Reading, MA ; sisters, Jackie Bleakney of Monroe, CT and Beverly Lowrey of Belfast, Maine; 16 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, August 19, from 9:15 AM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading followed by a 10:30 AM Funeral Mass at St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter Street, North Reading. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, August 18 from 4 to 7 PM. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Amyloidosis Foundation, 7151 N. Main St., Ste 2, Clarkston, MI 48346 or to the American Heart Association. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Dorothy  A.  Robichaud – of Wilmington, MA, age 94, died peacefully in her sleep on August 4, 2021, while staying with her son Gary in Hickory, North Carolina. Dorothy was born September 16, 1926 in Chelsea, MA, into a family of 13 children. She was married in 1949 to Arthur Robichaud. She helped her husband build a house in North Wilmington where they raised a family of five children, and where she lived for 70 years. She was fortunate enough to be a snowbird to Melbourne Florida for 16 years after Arthur’s retirement in 1987. Dorothy was a homemaker for most of her adult life after starting a family in 1950. In her later years she worked as a teller at the Wilmington branch of the Reading Cooperative bank for 10 years through the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Dorothy loved a good adventure. She went on every town bus trip that was available, whether it was a weekend trip to New York City or a day trip to Boston. She loved the social camaraderie. She loved the Fourth of July festivities on the common in Wilmington. Her highlight of the week, in the middle of the summer, would be the concert on Wilmington common.

And boy did she like a good bingo game! She was a regular every week at the bingo games held at the Wilmington Knights of Columbus. She would also frequent the weekly bingo games held in Tewksbury, Stoneham, and even Foxwoods if she had someone to travel with.

Dorothy is pre-deceased by her husband Arthur, to whom she was married for 55 years. She is also pre-deceased by her daughter Diane Mills.

She leaves behind her son Edward and his wife Elaine, her daughter Linda Vachon and her husband Wayne, her son Gary and his wife Debbie, and her son Scott and his wife Sheila. She also leaves behind five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She lived a good long happy life.

Family and friends are invited to gather at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Sunday, August 15 from 1 to 4 PM. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Avenue, Wilmington on Monday, August 16, at 10:30 AM, followed by interment at Wildwood Cemetery in Wilmington. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in her memory to the nonprofit hospice facility, Carolina Caring, 3975 Robinson Rd., Newton, NC  28658, or www.carolinacaring.org www.croswellfuneralhome.com