obits

It is with great sadness that the family of Beverly Decker Reed of Lincoln announce her passing after a battle with cancer on September 19, 2024. She passed peacefully, holding the hands of her daughters and friends and surrounded by love.

Bev was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend. She had a ready smile and a great deal of love that she shared with so many of us. We loved her dearly while she was with us and miss her dearly now that she is not.

Bev was drawn to the challenge of finding ways to share opportunity and resources with people of all ages and from all over the world since she first set up a lemonade stand to collect donations for the city of Worcester after a tornado devastated the city in the 1950s. In a 40-year career she held senior positions at leading nonprofits in education, environment, health, and international development.

Bev’s work served her community and the world. She served as a first-grade and nursery school teacher, did admissions work at Williams College, and served in senior resource development roles at Williams College, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, and Pathfinder International.

Volunteer work has been a touchstone for Bev over the years. She proudly served on the Williamstown School Committee, was a deacon and lay leader in her church, a founder and board member of A Better Chance chapter in Williamstown, a volunteer for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, a member of the board of directors of the Women’s Fund of New Hampshire, a board member of Women’s Trust, and co-chair of her 50th reunion at Wheaton College.

Bev was a graduate of Wheaton College, received a Certificate of Management and Leadership from the Harvard University Extension School, and was certified in Reiki. Until a week of her death she enjoyed Zoom calls with college and high school friends.

She is survived by her loving husband Will Reed; her children and their spouses Becca Fasciano, Jennifer and Richard Wu, and Jeff and Nadine Stevens; her stepsons and their spouses Will and Eliza and Mark and Stephanie Reed. She is also survived by her two brothers and their spouses, Bruce Decker and Bob and Laurel Decker. Finally, she is survived by her cousins, friends, ten nieces and nephews, and her 14 grandchildren. As we mourn her departure, let us also celebrate her life and the countless moments of joy and laughter she shared with us all.

A service of remembrance will be held on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln. At Bev’s wishes, the service will be followed by a reception and agape feast at the church where friends and relatives will eat together and celebrate her life.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Dana Farber, Pathfinder International and the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a memory or to offer a condolence in Bev’s online guestbook, click here.

Catherine Cooper Millard, 85, of Lincoln passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Catherine was born in Philadelphia on April 4, 1939. Her father, the Reverend Dr. Charles Muhlenberg Cooper, was president of the Ev. Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and her mother, Alta Peterson Cooper, was the daughter of Swedish immigrants. Catherine was a direct descendant of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, who was integral to the founding of the first Lutheran church in the United States. Catherine attended Germantown Friends school, a private Quaker school that instilled in her a life-long love of learning. An intellectually advanced student, she attended Radcliffe College and married Donald Allan Millard, Jr. upon graduation in 1961.

A gifted pianist and musician, Catherine was devoted to her family, instilling a love of music in her children and sharing her talent with her many musical friends. In 1993, she joined the Jeannette Giguere Piano Workshop which met faithfully every month to play piano, attend concerts, and share life’s joy and sorrow. Her pianistic interpretation of the music of Federico Mompou was greatly admired and she loved the works of J.S. Bach, which soothed her during her final illness.

Her eldest child, Donnie, was autistic and nonverbal at a time when the syndrome was little understood and services were limited. Catherine was his fiercest advocate, ensuring that he received the educational support, vocational training, job placement, and services he needed for a fulfilling adult life. She continued to take him to weekly music lessons and include him in all family occasions and vacations to the beach until he passed away in 2023.

For several years, Catherine worked as a real estate agent in Concord, where she made many friends and enjoyed touring the beautiful homes in the area. She continued to feed her intellect through classes in business communication and negotiation at Radcliffe Seminars. When most of her friends were retiring, Catherine earned a paralegal degree from Babson College. Her first-hand experience with special-needs legal issues and academic success made her an excellent fit for a position at Rosenberg, Freedman and Lee, LLP, where she worked until retirement.

Catherine traveled extensively, delighting in the museums, architecture, scenery, cuisine, and music of many European cities including Ulm, Vienna, Munich, Venice, Bologna, Florence, London, and Rome. In 1973, she and Donald ventured to Dakar, Senegal for a total solar eclipse, yielding spectacular pictures for the family at home. During one visit to Milan she and her family serendipitously encountered Itzhak Perlman and calmly walked a half a block behind him on their way to his concert. In later years, Catherine and Donald visited Panama and Guatemala. Of the many places they traveled, Paris was a favorite and they hoped she would be able to visit one last time.

Catherine is survived by her husband of 63 years, Donald A. Millard, Jr.; her daughters, Ann Lindsay Clinton of Hull and Carol Cooper Millard of Lexington; her brother, Jeremy Cooper of Concord, N.H.; and her grandchildren, Nathan Lee Kaufman of Lexington, Alyse Jessica Clinton of Quincy, Charles Frederick Clinton of Philadelphia, and Miriam Davis Kaufman of Lexington.

Family and friends are all invited to gather for visiting hours on Monday, Oct. 7 from 4–7 p.m. at Dee Funeral Home (27 Bedford St., Concord). There will be no funeral services. Burial will be private at Lincoln Cemetery.  

In lieu of flowers, please make a charitable contribution in Catherine’s name. Autism Services Association Inc. or Historic Trappe Historical Society would be especially meaningful choices.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Catherine’s online guestbook, click here.

Anne Cynthia (Mattana) Kafina, formerly of Lincoln, died on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at Waltham Crossings following a period of declining health. She was 97, and at the end of her long life, continued to fiercely value her independence.

She was happily married to the late Martin Kafina for 35 years until his passing.

Born on August 6, 1927, Anne was the daughter of the late Giacinto and Domittela Mattana. She grew up in the Bronx, and was awarded the title of Miss Coney Island. She lived on Second Street in Park Slope for 30 years.

Anne enjoyed playing golf and tennis, and admired her favorite baseball player, Joe DiMaggio. She loved the music stylings of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Annual vacations to Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey, where she could be found boating and water-skiing, brought her special joy.

Anne was a dedicated volunteer at Emerson Hospital for 20 years. A selfless mother and excellent grandmother, she was regarded as the cornerstone of her family.

She leaves behind her devoted son, Dr. Martin J. Kafina and his wife Theresa of Lincoln; two grandsons, Dr. Martin D. Kafina and Christopher J. Kafina; and a nephew, Dr. Fred Podorf. Anne was preceded in death by her four siblings: Josephine, Jack, Rose, and Argia.

Family and friends will gather for Anne’s Funeral Mass on Saturday, September 28 at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph Church in Lincoln. Burial will follow at Lincoln Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Emerson Health Foundation, 133 Old Road to Nine Acre Corner, Concord MA 01742 or Rheumatology Research Foundation, 2200 Lake Boulevard, Atlanta GA 30319.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. Click here to visit her online guestbook.

Kemon Peter Taschioglou passed away peacefully at home on August 31, 2024, just two days shy of his 96th birthday. Born to Greek immigrants Prothomos (Peter) Taschioglou and Despina Tossounoglou, Kemon grew up in a family duplex in Winthrop, where he developed lifelong friends, a love of sailing, and a deep appreciation for the ocean.

Kemon became an Eagle Scout and graduated from Winthrop High School in 1945. He then earned a degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1949 and graduated from Harvard Business School in 1951. While at MIT, he participated in ROTC and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. He developed an enduring love of physics and astronomy, which he shared with his family, often visiting the Boston Museum of Science planetarium and stargazing at their home near Mt. Misery.

In 1960, while working in sales at Polaroid, Kemon noticed a fetching intern from upstate New York named Rhoda Kyser. She accompanied him on ski trips and outings with Kemon’s bachelor friend group, “The Lazy 8.” These men and their eventual spouses (some of whom still reside in Lincoln) continued to ski, sail, and hike together along with their children, remaining close friends for the rest of their lives.

Kemon and Rhoda commenced their 63-year partnership on May 27, 1961, and moved from Cambridge to Lincoln in 1963. In 1964, Kemon joined Teradyne, where he managed the company’s marketing services for the next 20 years, advancing the industry’s use of automated testing equipment to boost production.

Kemon was widely known for his ongoing civic commitment to the Town of Lincoln, most notably as a Selectman (1970-1972) and a member of the Conservation Commission (1974-1981). He was instrumental in implementing the town’s long-term development plan. He also helped develop and implement the town’s highly innovative land conservation strategy of purchasing parcels from private landowners for town use. This practice fostered responsible development while preserving ample open space for hiking and sustainable recreation; many other towns have since copied this strategy.

Kemon remained actively engaged in his community well into his 80s. For multiple decades, he and Rhoda were intrepid front-row participants at Lincoln’s Annual Town Meetings. A longtime member of the First Parish in Lincoln, he served as a deacon and both attended and taught Sunday school classes, earning him their lifetime achievement award. Starting at age 75, Kemon served two terms as the Lincoln School Committee representative on the Minuteman Regional High School Committee (from 2003-2006 and again from 2012-2015).

Throughout his life, Kemon held an irrepressible enthusiasm to understand the world around him and was known for engaging friends and strangers with a remarkably inquisitive yet disarming warmth. To feed his insatiable curiosity, he amassed an extensive collection of books on a wide array of subjects, which would have crowded Rhoda out of their living room had Kemon not confined his library to one long floor-to-ceiling wall. Kemon’s persistent pursuit of pluralistic perspectives made him slow to judge and eager to build bridges among multiple, often conflicting, points of view; this eagerness only increased with his age.

Kemon was also excited to travel, adopt trends, and try new adventures. He was among the first in town to get a 10-speed bike to commute daily to work in his suit, rain or shine. A few years later, Kemon and Rhoda bought their daughter a quarterhorse when she was 12, which he happily took over caring for and riding when his daughter left for college.

Kemon was physically vigorous well into his 90s. He would regularly jog, swim, chop wood, canoe on the Sudbury River, and camp in the Appalachians with his family and friends. While riding “his” horse, he injured his back, which required surgery. He subsequently recovered and was able to continue the majority of his former activities, largely because he remained doggedly committed to his rehab exercises.

In addition to his wife Rhoda of Lincoln, Kemon is survived by his daughter Ellen Parsons and her husband John of Belvedere, Calif., and their daughter Dominique; his son Peter Taschioglou of Waltham; Peter’s children, Danielle and Alexander of Portland, Ore.; and his niece Althea Henrickson of Athens, Texas. He was predeceased by his brother Byron J. Taschioglou and nephew Byron Peters.

A celebration of Kemon’s life will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 3 p.m. at the First Parish in Lincoln. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the The Trustees of Reservations, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural and historical places for public enjoyment and conservation.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. The family invites you to share a favorite memory or to offer other messages or condolences on Kemon’s tribute wall.  

Carolyn Betts Johnston, age 82, of Kennett Square, Penn., and formerly of Lincoln, passed away on August 3, 2024 after an extended illness. Born 1942 in Morristown, N.J, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Hazel Jacobs Betts.

A graduate of Dickinson College, Carolyn developed a love for nature, animals, and in particular, miniature shelties; her enjoyment of art, bridge-playing, volunteering, and travel rounded out her many special qualities. She and her husband, Dr. David Johnston, lived on Farrar Pond Road from the late 1970s until 2013, when they moved to Pennsylvania (David is buried in Lincoln).

Carolyn developed many lifelong friendships wherever she went, sharing her talents with the canine community with dog-obedience training and care, along with giving of herself with her calligraphy skills. She shared her gifts with her community and with the treasured friendships she formed through the years. As a lifelong diabetic, Carolyn beat the odds and bore this disease with patience, determination, and grace.

A devoted wife, sister, aunt and cherished friend, Carolyn and her presence will be deeply missed. Carolyn is predeceased by her husband, Dr. David Johnston, and her stepson, Skip Johnston. She is also predeceased by her brothers, Roger (and his wife, Joan) and Richard. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Patti Johnston of Massachusetts, and cousins Alan Jacobs of Wales and Gregory Jacobs of Indiana. Two step-grandchildren, Jonathan Johnston of Oklahoma and Megan Johnston of Switzerland, also survive Carolyn. She also leaves nephews and their families: Stephen and Sandra Betts and their daughters Melissa and Nina, all of Clarks Summit, Penn.; David of Edwardsville, Penn., and Gregory of Scranton, Penn.; and her niece Heather of Tunkhannoc, Penn.

At Carolyn’s request, there was no viewing or service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the American Kennel Club.

This obituary was provided by the Longwood Funeral Home in Kennett Square, Penn. To leave a sympathy note, click here.

Webster Bernard Brockelman, Jr. passed away quietly in Lincoln on July 25, 2024 with his loving wife of 49 wonderful years, Jennie Lou Brockelman, by his side. He was 93.

Web was born in Longview, Wash., on January 31, 1931, the son of Webster B. and Nina Harkins Brockelman. The family moved to Framingham, Mass., where Web attended public schools before attending Bates College, graduating in 1952 with a B.A. Throughout his life, Web attended every college reunion. He closely followed the Bates football team and viewed the annual Bates-Bowdoin game as the equivalent of a Super Bowl.

After graduation, Web entered the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and attained the rank of captain during the Korean War. He was awarded a Purple Heart for an injury during the conflict. He continued in the Marine Corps Reserves until 1960. His experience in the Corps shaped the rest of his life as he embraced the teamwork, ethics and patriotism of his Marine Corps tenure.

Following Korea, Web and his first wife, Marcia D. Brockelman, moved to Atlanta, but loving New England, they returned and settled in Boxford, Mass., where Web became an active citizen in local and national politics. He was a member of the Boxford school committee and a thought leader in the planning of the area’s first regional high school, Masconomet in 1959. He coached his sons in baseball and football, continually instilling the concept of sportsmanship to his players. He absolutely loved dogs, both his own and all those he came in contact with.

He was an accomplished musician with a deep melodious bass voice and sang both spontaneously and with quartets on the North Shore. His successful executive career in the insurance brokerage business began in the south with Liberty Mutual and continued in Boston for the next 40 years. Beginning with the Boston firm Boit, Dalton and Church, and through many mergers, he became president and CEO of AON Corp. in the Northeast, an international risk management firm. He retired from AON in 1995 but continued to serve in a consulting role for several more years.

Web was an instinctive and skilled sailor. He was past Commodore of the Eastern Point Yacht Club in Gloucester. He and Jen spent many years plying the waters of New England in their own sailboat aptly named Esprit. There were also many voyages in Maine, the Caribbean, and the Grenadines. Web and Jen skied and traveled worldwide and made numerous auto trips, including five across the country, often to Washington state to visit relatives.

Starting in 1976, Winchester Mass., became home to Web and Jen who hosted lots of family events as the children grew into adulthood. After retirement, Web and Jen retired to a condominium in Lincoln, where they regularly entertained family and held gatherings for a wide circle of friends. Web was also past president of the condo association where they lived. Seemingly Web’s innate leadership qualities lead him to numerous involuntary and voluntary leadership roles throughout his life in the community and business.

Web is survived by his wife, Jennie Lou; a brother, James H. Brockelman; three children by his first marriage to Marcia: Laura J., James D., and Andrew F. Brockelman; seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his stepchildren, Geoffrey F. and Rebecca E. Brackett. Web was an honored patriarch and loved as a remarkable presence in his family.

Webster’s funeral was private and he was buried in Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Marine Museum, 1775 Semper Fidelis Way, Triangle, VA 22172, or online at secure.marineheritage.org/a/f11110. For online condolences, please visit his Lane Funeral Home obituary page and click on “Memory Wall.”

Susan Hall Eckel of Lincoln, who taught scores of elementary school students during a decades-long career as a teacher in Concord, died in Boston on May 6, 2024. She was 82.

Born January 6, 1942 in Port Chester, N.Y., to Robert Russell Hall and Jean Collins, Sue, as she was widely known, grew up in Riverside, Conn., where she was known to be gregarious and social. She was an avid sailor at the Riverside Yacht Club and sang in the choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, nurturing a lifelong love of music.

She graduated from Greenwich High School in 1959 and then enrolled at Colby Junior College for Women in New London, N.H. (known today as Colby-Sawyer). After two years, she moved to Boston to attend Boston University, and she graduated from the School of Education with a Bachelor of Science in 1963. That summer, she participated in an exchange program in the Netherlands with the Experiment in International Living with a Dutch host family, which she recalled fondly for years.

While teaching at Hanscom Air Force Base, a mutual friend introduced her to an officer in the U.S. Air Force, George Mitchell Eckel III, known widely as Mitch. They married on August 28, 1965 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Susan accompanied Mitch as he underwent pilot and other training in Kansas and various locations around the United States. When Mitch was deployed overseas, she lived briefly in Riverside, Conn., with her parents and taught in the Riverside schools.

Following Mitch’s return from to the United States, they moved to Cambridge, where Mitch enrolled at Harvard Law School. Susan began teaching again at Hanscom in the summer of 1969. Their first son, George Mitchell Eckel IV (Mike), was born in 1971. The following year, after Mitch completed law school, the family moved to Manchester, N.H. Their twins, Peter Heywood Eckel and Richard Hall Eckel, were born in 1974. In 1975, Susan, Mitch, and their three boys moved to Concord, where they lived for the following 43 years.

Susan initially worked as an educator at the Milldam Nursery School in Concord, then as a kindergarten teacher in the Concord Public Schools, and later as a first-grade teacher, primarily at Alcott School. She retired in 2007.

Susan was a devoted citizen of Concord. In addition to working in the schools, she was a member of the Trinitarian Congregational Church. She was an avid gardener and active in the Concord Garden Club in her later years. She also was an enthusiastic member of the Hugh Cargill Trust, which provides short-term emergency assistance to Concord residents in times of financial need.    

In their later years, she and Mitch moved to Lincoln, where they were committed members of the Farrar Pond Community.  

Susan loved being a grandmother, attending soccer games, gymnastics events, and dance recitals. She will be remembered as a dedicated teacher, a loyal friend and “adventurer.”

Susan was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Mitch, who died in July 2023, and her younger brother Robert Russell Hall, Jr., who died in April 2011. She is survived by sons Mike (Jenn) of Prague, Czech Republic; Richard (Marcy), of Stow, Mass.; and Peter (Isabelle) of West Roxbury, and their families, including eight grandchildren, Lily, Sydney, Scarlett, Daphne, Henry, Louise, Charles, and Grace, along with her brother, Daniel M. Hall of Palm City, Fla., and her sister Jane C. Hall of North Conway, N.H.

Family and friends will gather to remember Susan at her memorial service on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 3 p.m. at the Trinitarian Congregational Church (54 Walden St., Concord). Burial in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Susan’s memory to: Trinitarian Congregational Church, 54 Walden St., Concord, MA 01742 or the Hugh Cargill Trust, Town of Concord, ATTN: Hugh Cargill Trust Committee. P.O. Box 535, Concord, MA 01742.

Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. Click here to visit her online guestbook.