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

David W. Marshall – 82, of Peabody, formerly of North Reading and Reading, died Monday, August 2, 2021, at Brooksby Village, after a lengthy illness. He was the loving husband of the late Bette (Clark) Marshall.

Born in Stoneham, MA on October 5, 1938, he was the son of David and Eileen Marjorie (Baker) Marshall.

He graduated from Reading High School and later received several degrees from MIT.  During his career he worked on the heat shield for the Apollo Mission. He also held several patents  for specialty materials. He worked at AVCO, Key Polymer, Kennecott Copper and Textron. David was a 50 plus year resident of North Reading and a member of the Union Congregational Church.

David enjoyed gardening, especially growing roses and sunflowers, he played  tennis and enjoyed cards (casino), cribbage , reading, hiking, he loved to travel to the White Mountains and loved science and math. He belonged to the Forestry Committee, the Society of Plastics Engineers and The Society of Sigma Xi 1961.

Family members include his loving sons, David S. Marshall and his wife Melinda, and James C. Marshall, his daughter, Laura (Marshall) Beaulieu and her husband Timothy; and 8 treasured grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Marjorie Marshall.

Funeral Service will be held at the Union Congregational Church, Haverhill Street, North Reading on Tuesday , August 17 at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be on Monday, August 16, from 4 to 7 PM at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Elaine A. Crowe, 79, of Haverhill, formerly of North Reading, died on July 19, 2021, after a recurrence of cancer.

Born on April 17, 1942, to Francis John Brinkmann and Alice Lucille Brinkmann, Elaine was the youngest of five siblings: the late Ronald Brinkmann, Elizabeth Corning, Francis Brinkmann and Marjorie O’Brien.  She also had a special relationship with her late mother-in-law, Ellen Crowe.

Elaine married Richard (Dick) Howard Crowe and together they had seven children.

In her childhood, Elaine enjoyed dancing, music and spending time with classmates who became her lifelong friends.  After marrying, Dick and Elaine moved to North Reading to raise their family. She was a volunteer, including leadership roles in Boy Scouts, Campfire Girls and other youth activities.  She was active at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, including co-founding one of North Reading’s first day care centers.

Elaine’s home was often a social center where her children and their friends spent many hours playing or sharing a meal at her kitchen table. On holidays the family hosted people who had nowhere to go for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Elaine traveled the world with her sisters including visits to Russia, England, Scotland, France, Italy, and Nova Scotia. She enjoyed reading, classical music, opera, and the occasional Broadway show.

Elaine was affectionately known as Meema to all of her grandchildren, whom she loved dearly and her love was reciprocated. Later in life, she settled in the West Meadows community in Haverhill where she could be seen walking her beloved Yorkie, Missy.

Elaine is greatly missed by her daughter Laurie Ann and her husband Jeff Powell and their children, Bethany, Daniel and his wife Abigail, Rebecca, Benjamin, and Elijah; Richard Crowe Jr.; William Crowe; James Crowe and his wife Megan and their children Aiden and Madeline; daughter Cathryn Crowe and her family Emily, Hannah and Jackson Korba; Barbara Swartz and her sons Timothy, Harrison, Samuel and his daughter Penelope; son John Crowe and his wife Robyn and their children Madison, Emmett, Nicholas, and Mitchell; along with nieces and nephews too numerous to mention and her brother-in-law Robert Crowe and sister-in-law Barbara Forte.

Visitation will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow St., North Reading, on Friday, July 30, from 4:00-7:00 P.M.  Her funeral service will be at the funeral home on Saturday, July 31, at 10:00 AM, followed by interment at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Elaine’s name to MSPCA at Nevins Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844. www.crowsellfuneralhome.com

Douglas Edward Strachan, 70, of Melrose, formerly of North Reading, passed away unexpectedly on July 10th at his home following a long illness. His longtime companion, Cristine Cardello, was by his side.

Douglas was born August 30, 1950 in Stoneham, MA. Growing up, the second of four children, “Dougie” was known for his curly red hair, twinkling blue eyes, protective personality and extraordinary sense of humor. Youthful passions included drawing, camping and summers on “The Red Legs” baseball mound playing Little League under the watchful eye of his father and head coach, Donald Strachan. An accomplished Boy Scout he excelled at all things outdoors, and by the time he reached high school, the lanky teen had caught the eye of North Reading High School’s Cross Country Team. He went on to letter in multiple sports and graduated in the class of 1968.

Enterprising and energetic, Doug spent time as a lobster fisherman. His vocation however was short-lived, as his uncanny “lobstah” trapping skills often produced an overabundance of live crustaceans… which in turn filled and spilled out of his parent’s refrigerators, freezers, bathtubs and sinks. Shortly thereafter (and to his mother’s relief) he moved into a career that would span some 50 years: the automotive parts and repair industry. A wise decision for a young man known throughout the North Shore for his talented “tinkering” and ability to fix any car, truck or boat engine he could find. In the coming years Doug’s deep love for family and the great outdoors culminated in a beloved multi-generational lake home in Maine. The 6 bedroom cabin – which he built alongside his father and brother Donny – was his pride and joy, a nirvana of sorts: filled with pine trees, moose sightings, crackling fires and midnight swims. And it was here Doug lived his happiest moments: seated contently in his lake boat, eating red hot dogs, and teaching children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews the fine art of fishing… all the while casting line after line into his top secret fishing spot, “Bass Heaven.”

He is survived by daughter, Linda J. Strachan (Mary Ade) of Nantucket and son, Douglas J. Strachan of Atlanta, GA; his 7 grandchildren: Thomas Murphy, Kathryn Murphy, Meghan Murphy, Sam Murphy, Daniel Murphy, Oscar Strachan and Shiloh Strachan; his dear sisters: Kathleen (Richard) Farrar of Carver, Patricia (Brian) Hantzis of West Henrietta, NY, sister-in-law Carol Strachan of Billerica; and nieces and nephews: Rachel (goddaughter), Emily, Donald, Kristen, Richard, Mark, Brian (godson) and Adam. Douglas joins his beloved parents Donald and Kathleen Sullivan Strachan, brother, Donald C. Strachan and granddaughter, Emma Rose Murphy.

A private wake will be held July 20th at Croswell Funeral Home followed by a private interment at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made in honor of his late brother, Don C. Strachan, to Massachusetts General Hospital. Address: Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114.

https://www.massgeneral.org/cancer-center/about/support-us All donations deeply appreciated.