William  F.  Brennan, Jr. – 79, of Port St. Lucie, FL, formerly of Clearwater, FL and North Reading, passed away on Saturday, September 28, 2019, at the Salerno Bay Health and Rehabilitation Center in Stuart, FL.

Born in Lowell, MA on April 12, 1940. He was the son of the late William F., Sr. and Sylvia (Dooley) Brennan. Bill was raised in North Reading and was a graduate of North Reading High School, Class of 1958. He was also a graduate of Salem State College and Tufts University, where he received his Master’s Degree.

Bill was a Teacher, Guidance Counselor and the Director of Special Education at North Reading High School. He later worked in the insurance industry for Transamerica, Cal Farm and Mutual of Omaha.

Family members include his loving wife, Veronica (McQuarrie) Brennan; sons, William F. Brennan, III, and his wife Nancy of Palm Bay, FL, Michael A. Brennan and his wife Jody of Grafton and Stephen T. Brennan and his wife Judy of Plymouth, MI; brothers, Peter D. Brennan, James Bunker and the late Thomas R. Bunker; sisters, Sylvia McDonald and the late Phyllis McCarty and Elinor Rountree; nine grandchildren, Chris, Alyssa, Michael, Stephanie, Jacqueline, Brian, Amy, Taylor and Madison; and many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 2 to 4 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to Dana Farber Cancer Institute or to Alzheimer’s Association, SE Florida Chapter, Washington, DC 20090. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Janet  L.  (Smith) Ward – 82, of Windham, NH and formerly of North Reading, and Charlestown, died Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at Winchester Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard A. Ward.

Born in Boston, MA on December 2, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Irving L. and Louise M. (Chaiampa) Smith. She was a graduate of Lynn Classical High School. Jan has been a resident Windham for the past ten years and a former resident of North Reading for 47 years.

Jan work at her family owned Sully’s Donut Shop in North Reading for many years and was a homemaker. Jan Ward was tough to get to know, but once you did, she was a friend for life. She told you how she felt, no matter the outcome. She was loving, caring, genuine, very funny and tough as they come. She was a most loving mother.

She loved plants, gardens, her Christmas Cactus and her coffee. Jan was a great cook, she loved her time on the computer with all Astro Garden friends. Jan was a camper at Hidden Valley Campground for over 30 years.

Jan loved her Yorkshire Terrier Faith for 12 years. She loved to read books, watch movies and most of all she loved her four sons.

Family members include her loving four sons, Richard J. Ward of North Reading, Carl S. Ward of CA, Russell B. Ward of Windham, NH and Michael Ward of North Reading; grandchildren, Jessica, Kyle, Richard, Alicia, Rachel, Nick, Page, Shauna and Stephanie Ward and several great grandchildren.

Her funeral will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Monday, October 21 at 10:30 AM. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 20 from 2 to 5 PM. Burial 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

Shirley E. (Pooton) Woollacott – 98, of North Andover and formerly of North Reading for 47 years, died October 7, 2019 at Edgewood in North Andover. She was the beloved wife of the late Robert A. Woollacott.

Born on December 2, 1920 in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of the late Archie and Rose (Nielson) Pooton.

Shirley was a graduate of Bay Ridge High School, Class of 1939 in Brooklyn, NY.  She studied two years in business at Pace Institute in Manhattan, NY. She was a secretary for the Irving Trust Company in New York and also worked part time in Melrose for Veteran’s Housing and Employment.

In 1943 she enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked in the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. during World War II from 1943 to 1946. She achieved rank of Chief Yeoman.

Shirley was a devoted wife and loving mother with a great sense of humor. She was an active member for over 40 years with the Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading, she served on Vestry, as Sunday School instructor and feeding ministry and other capacities.

Shirley married Robert A. Woollacott on December 26, 1945 at the Christ Church in Brooklyn, NY. She enjoyed ballroom dancing, photography and playing Bridge.

Shirley was a former resident of North Reading for 47 years. She has been a resident of Edgewood in North Andover and a member of the Christ Church in Andover since 1997.

Family members include her loving sons, Robert Woollacott of Cheektowga, NY, Richard Woollacott and his wife Jacqui of North Smithfield, RI and Russell Woollacott of Merrimack, NH. Two grandchildren, Dawn Schregal (Chris) of Amherst, NY and Brad Woollacott (Lauren) of Buffalo, NY; also survived by 5 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on Monday, October 14 from 5 to 7 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Graveside services will be private. A reception will be held at the Edgewood Retirement Community, 575 Osgood Street, North Andover on Tuesday, October 15 from 1 to 3 PM.  Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the Christ Church in Andover or to the Church of Good Shepard in Reading. www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Ruth  K.  (Bjork) Leyden – 89, of North Reading and formerly of Melrose, passed away on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at Wingate of Reading.

Born in Melrose, MA on February 11, 1930. She was the daughter of the late Eric and Hilda (Peterson) Bjork.

Ruth worked for the Town of North Reading Planning Department for many years. She participated on the Conservation Committee, setting up several parks in town and has been a resident of North Reading for the past 64 years.

Ruth was an avid photographer and was a member of the Merrimack Valley Camera Club. she also enjoyed traveling as well as skiing.

Family members include her loving husband of 38 years  William P. Leyden; daughters, Sandy Boulanger and her husband William of Chichester, NH and Deborah Leyden of Amesbury; her sons, William Kennedy and his wife Julie of  Derry, NH and William M. Leyden and his wife Joan of North Andover and four grandchildren, Sean Kennedy and his fiancé Emily Rose Higgs, Laura Pezone and her husband Michael, Kelly and Megan Leyden; she was the sister of the late Ernie York and Roy Bjork.

Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 8 at 1:00 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 10:00 to 12:45 PM. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in her memory to the American Red Cross. www.redcross.org www.croswellfuneralhome.com

Donald G. Hitchins – 68, of Andover and formerly of North Reading, died Friday, September 27, 2019 at the Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley in Billerica.

Donald was born in Chelsea, MA on March 2, 1951. He was the son of the late Arthur P. and Philomena (Grieco) Hitchins. Don was raised and attended school in North Reading and was a graduate of North Reading High, Class of 1969. He has been a resident of Andover since 1978. For over 38 years, he worked out of Boston’s Logan Airport for Northwest and Delta Airlines as a District Operations Manager, Plant Maintenance Manager, and Ground Service Equipment Mechanic. Donnie was a tireless and dedicated employee who received countless awards and accolades for his achievements. He retired in 2016.

From rebuilding industrial diesel engines and front end loaders, to tinkering on cars and lawnmowers in the driveway, Don was known as a brilliant mechanic. Both his peers and family would tell you that there was never anything that “Diesel Don” couldn’t fix.

Donald also took great pride in serving as a civilian contractor with the United States Air Force in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield-Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. For his distinguished service, Don received several of the highest honors and medals awarded to civilians serving our U.S. military.

In retirement, his biggest joys came from walking in the woods with his dog Duncan, mowing the lawn, snow-blowing the driveway, tinkering in the basement, frequent trips to Dunkin Donuts, telling his children to visit more often and drive slower, but most especially chasing his granddaughter around the house and feeding her too many Oreos.

Donald loved his family with all of his heart. Family members include his loving wife Sandra J. (Fraser) Hitchins; his son, Todd Hitchins and wife Celia; daughters, Amanda (Hitchins) Lee and her husband Michael, Jesse Hitchins and her partner Andrew Luttrell; brothers, Fred Hitchins and his wife Deborah, Robert Hitchins and his wife Ellen; sisters, Barbara Zeimetz and her husband Anthony, Kathleen Gallant and her husband Timothy; two grandchildren, Annika and Kellan Lee.

His memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 2, at 10:30 AM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6 Locke Street in Andover. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 1 from 3 to 7 PM at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. Burial will be private. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to North Reading Veteran’s Gift Account, 235 North Street (Town Hall), North Reading, MA 01864, att. Susan Magner. www.croswellfuneralhome.com