The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

obits

May 20 service for Wallace Boquist

Wallace P. Boquist, a longtime resident of Lincoln passed away in Lexington on April 8, 2022 after a short illness. He was 89 years old.  

Wallace was born to Irene and Paul Boquist in Minneapolis, where he and his sister Barbara grew up. He attended Washburn High School before driving his jalopy to Cambridge to attend MIT to study what his classmates called “unclear” (nuclear) physics.   

Before settling at Fairhaven Bay, Wallace traveled the world, from Alaska to Argentina and from Samoa to Russia. He served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army and was a keen student of World War II and Cold War history. During his professional career, Wallace launched two successful companies supporting field research for the defense of the United States.

Wallace lived a life of contrasts. He worked on atomic tests in the Pacific and was a lover of nature, feeding and creating safe havens for the wildlife on his property. He lived alone but regularly enjoyed impromptu social gatherings at the Colonial Inn and Chang An in Concord. He studied nuclear physics but spent his time tinkering with innumerable carpentry projects around his home while listening to ragtime jazz. For many years, he and his German shorthaired pointer Greta were inseparable. More than a few of the shops in Concord with “no pets allowed” signs secretly kept dog biscuits to give to Greta when the pair made their Saturday morning rounds. 

Wallace is survived by his son, Gregory, his sister Barbara, and niece Kim.  

Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate Wallace’s life during a memorial visitation on Friday, May 20 from 3:30–5:30 p.m. in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford St., Concord. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 or the MSPCA–Angell, Attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in his online guestbook, please click here. 

My Turn: Flags at half-staff for the late Tom Billings

To Lincoln residents:

The flags on town buildings are at half-staff in recognition of the passing of Tom Billings, a longtime resident and active town volunteer. Tom died suddenly in his Lincoln home on March 9 from cardiac arrest. Kind, modest and intelligent, Tom was much loved and respected in Lincoln and everywhere he went. Almost from the time Tom and his wife Penny moved to Lincoln in 1983, they became involved as volunteers on town boards and committees.

An enthusiastic conservationist, Tom was a member of the Conservation Commission for many years. He later became a Library trustee and served in that role until he was appointed to the bench as a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 2001 and had to step down from other positions he held. Tom retired from the court in 2019. He loved and never tired of Lincoln and its beauty, walking around town almost daily. We are grateful for Tom’s contributions to and influence on our community.

We join with Tom’s many friends in expressing our sympathies to his wife Penny, their son Jamie, and their family. He will be greatly missed.

For the town,

Jonathan Dwyer, Select Board Chair
Tim Higgins, Town Administrator

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Service on Feb. 26 for Claire Pearmain, 1929–2022

Claire Pearmain

Claire Anne Pearmain, 92, of Newbury Court in Concord and a former long-time Lincoln resident passed away on February 8. She was the wife of the late William Robert Pearmain.

Claire was born in Washington, D.C. on June 27, 1929. She grew up in Hingham, where she attended Derby and Milton Academies and maintained those early friendships for the rest of her life. She graduated from Wells College, earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature.

Claire and Robert married on June 14, 1952 and soon settled in Lincoln, where together they raised their children. After her children were grown, Claire went to Northeastern University and graduated with a master’s degree in social work with a focus in geriatrics. She then worked at Metropolitan State Hospital with its chronically mentally ill residents until it closed in 1991. She cared deeply for the patients and helped them to settle in the community.

Bob and Claire were members of the First Parish church in Lincoln for over 65 years. She was active on a number of committees but especially the Social Concerns Committee, where she volunteered for such causes as hunger and homelessness. She was also a trustee for Farrington Memorial for many years, serving young people with mental disorders.

She is survived by her three children, Elisa Pearmain-Hovestadt of Hudson, Victoria Pearmain-Tingey of Rossville, Ga., and William R. Pearmain of Marlborough; her granddaughter Joy Hovestadt of Vermont, and two step-grandchildren, Ashley, and Heather Tingey.

Claire loved to garden and walk with Bob in the peaceful woods and fields near her home. She was widely known and appreciated for her kind and loving spirit. Donations in her memory may be made to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 South Bay Ave., Boston, MA 02118.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Claire for a memorial service on Saturday Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in Duvall Chapel at Newbury Court (80 Deaconess Rd., Concord). There will be an internment ceremony in the Lincoln Cemetery later in the spring. Please RSVP to Elisa Pearmain at elisa@wisdomtales.com as space is limited due to COVID. There will be a Zoom option for those who are not able to attend in person.

Arrangements are under the care of Glenn D. Burlamachi, Concord Funeral Home.

Judith Glassman, 1948–2021

Judith Glassman

A funeral will be held in Canton and streamed online on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. for Judith Glassman, who retired as principal of the Brooks School in 2006. The Cambridge resident passed away peacefully surrounded be her family on December 31 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

She leaves her loving husband of 50 years, Mitchell Glassman of Cambridge; two sons, Adam Glassman and husband Yoo Jin Glassman of Cambridge, and Matthew Glassman and husband Jeremy Eaton of Ashfield; four grandchildren (Nicolas Glassman, Sarah Glassman, Julius Glassman and Davi Glassman), and two sisters, Anne Mack of Charlton and Debbie Feingold of Worcester and their families.

Judy was born in Lynn and was raised in Worcester, a daughter of David Levy and Selma (Turow) Levy. She graduated Doherty Memorial High School and Boston University and completed graduate work at Leslie College.

She was a beloved teacher, mentor and colleague for over 30 years, working in the Walpole, Holliston, and Lincoln school systems, retiring in 2006 as the principal of the Lincoln Brooks School. She was well known for the love she had for her work, her professional leadership, her no-nonsense sense of humor and as a loyal and life-long friend to many of her colleagues wherever her career path took her.

She was an avid runner for many years and ran the Boston Marathon in 1986. In retirement she enjoyed working part time as a new-teacher evaluator for Wheelock College and spending many hours on the beach in Truro with her husband, children, and grandchildren. Her adventures included traveling much of the world with her husband and winning the chance to dine with Barack and Michelle Obama during their second campaign for the White House in 2012.

She was a member of Temple Beth David in Westwood and later of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline.

The family would like to take this opportunity to thank the personnel at Newbridge on the Charles and Cadbury Commons for their dedicated and compassionate care. Donations in Judy’s memory can be made to Alzheimer’s Family Support Center, 2095 Main St., Brewster MA 02631.

To view the funeral service, make a gift, or leave a remembrance, visit Glassman’s page on the website of Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, which prepared this obituary.

Carol “Cici” Caswell, 1929–2021

Carol Caswell

Carol Bradley Caswell passed away on December 13 in Lincoln at the age of 92. Born Carolyn Fontaine Bradley in Washington, D.C., she attended the Potomac School, the Madeira School and Briarcliff Jr. College. After marrying John Caswell, also of Washington, they lived in Cambridge, Mass.for a short period and then moved to southern California for five years. She and John also spent two years on Kwajalein atoll in the South Pacific while John managed the Raytheon installation there.

Carol and John moved back to the East Coast and settled into Lincoln, where they raised their five children. Carol was active in the Junior League of Boston, loved her plants, and enjoyed playing and watching tennis. Her grandchildren love seeing the picture published from time to time in the Boston Globe of Carol hiding out of sight behind Julia Child on the kitchen set of WGBH, where she volunteered collecting and cleaning her cooking utensils.

She loved staying connected to her family both near and far, and for many years she and John spent a part of their winters on Longboat Key, Fla. As a child, she treasured her time at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake, N.H., a tradition that has continued with her own family and her brother’s family ever since. The house in Westport Island, Maine, where she and John loved to visit, continues to nurture and grow the bonds of family.

As a volunteer, she was the assistant tax collector for the town of Lincoln for several years and volunteered for a number of other town organizations. She was an active member of the St. Anne’s Church Altar Guild and chair of the Commission of Trust Funds. Upon becoming one of the first residents of The Commons in Lincoln, she was active on the Residents Committee, continuing her tie to the town that lasted more than 64 years. 

“Cici” cherished her children and grandchildren above all else. Her greatest desire was to spend time with them and hear about their adventures and achievements. She was so gracious that she always asked about you and how you were rather than telling you about herself. Her self-deprecating humor and wry wit could catch you by surprise until you saw the mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her lasting legacy and one of the greatest joys of her life was annually hosting her family together for a week away, building a bond of love and caring throughout the generations.

She was predeceased by her younger brother Frederick Bradley and her husband of 60 years, John Ross Caswell. She leaves her dear friend Dr. Jerome Perry and his family ,who have added years to her life and life to her years after the passing of her husband John.

Carol is survived by her brother Thomas Bradley and his wife Anna (Washington, D.C.); her children Brad and Fran (Pennington, N.J.), Chris and Patricia (Sarasota, Fla.), Fred and Pam (South Freeport, Maine), Wally and Brenda (Randolph, Vt.), Carolyn and Jonathan Dwyer (Lincoln); 14 grandchildren and two great-children; niece Christina Bradley and her husband Larry Sampas; and nephews Tom Bradley and Philip Bradley and his wife Susan Bradley.

Donations can be made in her memory to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services, PO Box 143, Lincoln MA 01773. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home. To share a memory or offer a condolence, click here.

Obituaries

Margaret Boyer, 85

Polaroid employee and Historical Society member. Full obituary.

Michael Maddox, 74

There will be a memorial gathering Michael Maddox, who died in Jacksonville, FL on December 8, at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square on Jan. 9 from 2-4 p.m. Full obituary.

Melvin L. Stone, 96

Longtime electrical engineering at MIT Lincoln Lab. Full obituary.

Christopher “Cricker” Williams, 58

Lincoln native who was a truck driver and peace officer in Palestine, TX. Full obituary.

Editor’s note: Whenever possible, the Lincoln Squirrel contacts the funeral home and offers to run full obituaries (with photo when available) as a paid service. In other cases we post a link to obituaries on Legacy.com. 

Allen Vander Meulen Jr., 1932–2021

Allen Vander Meulen Jr.

Allen Vander Meulen, Jr., 89, died peacefully at The Commons in Lincoln on November 22. Born in Chicago on June 23, 1932, he was the eldest child of Allen (Sr.) and Alice (Connor) Vander Meulen of Chicago. 

The grandchild of Irish and Dutch immigrants, Allen grew up on the south side of Chicago. He graduated from Fenger High School in 1950. His youth was a happy time, despite the challenges his family faced while he and his siblings were born and grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. He graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in economics (1954) and from Yale Divinity School (1958). 

Allen was minister at Third Congregational Church in Waterbury, Conn., from 1958–1963, where he met the love of his life, Dorothy Overbaugh; they were married on August 29, 1959. Their children Allen III and David were born in Waterbury and daughter Ruth was born in Vermont.

Allen’s gifts as a teacher, mentor, and administrator were widely appreciated. He had a strong drive to advocate on behalf of those who had no voice, and to seek justice and opportunity for those who had none. Soon after moving to Vermont, he joined other area ministers to travel to Washington, D.C. and stand in solidarity with hundreds of thousands of others from all over the nation to hear Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Allen became minister at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro, Vt., in 1963. He left in 1968, serving as an interim minister throughout Massachusetts and Vermont while attending school, eventually graduating from Brown University with a Ph.D. in economics in 1974. In 1973 he became an associate professor of economics at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He also directed the school’s extension program in Casper.

In 1978 Allen joined North Central College in Naperville, Ill., as a professor of economics. He oversaw the school’s new Weekend College and helped establish what is now their computer science department. He also helped establish the school’s MBA program. In later years he taught business ethics as well.

Allen and Dorothy returned to Brattleboro on his retirement in 1997. There he served as chair of Centre Church’s Endowment Committee and a trustee for the town library, among other organizations. He enjoyed family, travel, biking, long walks, and conversing about philosophy, ethics, or politics. Allen and Dorothy moved to Lincoln in late 2019.

Allen was predeceased by his parents and his sister Eva. He is survived by his wife Dorothy; son Allen III and wife Stephanie of Lincoln; son David and wife Julie of Aurora, Ill.; daughter Ruth and husband Tim of Rockford, Ill.; brother Ross and wife Kay of Galesburg, Ill.; brother-in-law Robert Overbaugh and wife Nancy of Westford, Mass.; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Allen’s grandchildren are Elizabeth Anne Vander Meulen, Aaron Taylor, Joshua Taylor, and Allen Vander Meulen IV.

There was a private memorial service at the Dee Funeral Home in Concord. A celebration of his life will be held at Centre Congregational Church in the spring of 2022. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Centre Congregational Church, Brown University, Yale Divinity School, or the Alzheimer’s Association.  

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in his online guestbook, click here.

News acorns

Marc Day (center).

Donate to Marc Day Scholarship Fund

Friends and family of the late Marc Day invite donations to a scholarship fund established in the name of Marc, a Lincoln resident and graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School who died on September 8.

Organizers are hoping to raise $25,000 to help one college-bound L-S track runner each year. Marc, a student at Curry College, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 19. “Some of his many loves were flowers, sushi, hot sauce, clothes and friends. Always his friends,” his mother Mary Day wrote.

To donate, click here. Under ” Dedicate this gift,” please type in “Marc Day” or “Marc Day Memorial Scholarship.” Donation may also be made by check payable to “L-S Scholarship Fund.” Write “Marc Day Scholarship” on the memo line and mail it to LSSF, P.O. Box 693, Sudbury, MA 01776.

Substitute teachers needed

Apply to become a substitute teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools for students in grades preK-8. Morning, afternoon or all-day shifts are available on the Lincoln and Hanscom campuses. Work with younger or older students based on your preference. Rates start at $60 (half-day) and $100 (full day). Click here to learn more and apply on line. Questions? Contact Kerry Parrella at kparrella@lincnet.org or 508-958-6872.

Minute Man NHP unveils art exhibit

A new public art exhibition has been installed in the Minute Man National Historical Park in collaboration with the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord. Curated by Monkeyhouse, “Go Out Doors – Minute Man National Historical Park” brings unique, park-inspired artistic perspectives to the Umbrella’s “Go Out Doors – Neighbors” regional exhibition of artfully upcycled, painted doors, installed in towns throughout Battle Road, MetroWest and beyond.

The doors feature designs inspired by and creatively interpreting themes from three major sites in the park selected in consultation with Park interpretive staff led by Visitor Service Manager Jennifer Pierce and 2021 intern Luis Berrizbeitia. Click here to learn more.

The project is the park’s second major collaboration with Umbrella, following 2019’s “Earth Press Project: Witness,” a large-scale sculptural installation by MMNHP’s first artist in residence, Nancy Winship Milliken. It is supported in part by The Foundation for Metrowest. Originally inspired by the door exhibit on NYC’s High Line, “Go Out Doors” has expanded from the Umbrella’s original summer 2020 exhibition in West Concord into a wide collaborative public art campaign with thematically similar installations cropping up along trails, open spaces, business districts and cultural attractions in many area towns.

Online service for Joan Dolinsky on Friday morning

(Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel is now running complete obituaries in cases where they’re provided by the funeral home for a fee.)

Joan Dolinsky

There will be a live-streamed graveside service on Friday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. for Joan Platt (Saxe) Dolinsky of Hingham, formerly of Lincoln and Swampscott, who passed away peacefully after a brief illness on October 25. She was the daughter of the late Hyman and Sylvia (Allen) Saxe. She was raised in Brookline, and attended Brookline High School and Mount Ida College and received her bachelor’s degree from Bentley University.

Joan is survived by her loving husband Larry Dolinsky of Hingham and her children Jeri Smoller (Mark) of Needham, Donna Platt of Southborough and Eric Platt (Pao) of Portsmouth, N.H. Her pride and joy were her four grandchildren Billy Smoller (Rachel Books), Rachel Beth Smoller, Andrew and Jason Michalik, and three cherished great grandchildren (Gabe, Emma and Sophie Smoller). She also leaves her siblings Janet, Judy, and John Saxe, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her first husband, Harvey Platt, and her brother Joel Saxe.

Joan had many interests. She was an avid sports fan, bridge player, and bicyclist, having ridden her bike with Larry around the world for the entire year 2000. There were other bike trips from coast to coast and the length of the Mississippi. She loved to travel with Larry to many different places around the world. Joan was an avid reader, theater fan and also enjoyed sailing. Family meant everything to her, and she reveled in all of her family gatherings.

After the burial, shiva will be held via Zoom by private invitation. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.dana-farber.org/gift). Arrangements handled by Brezniak Funeral Directors.

Obituaries

Service for Pamela Gallup

There will be a memorial service to celebrate the life of Pamela Gallup on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. in Bemis Hall. Gallup, a longtime member of the Housing Commission and Housing Trust, died in January. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, masks are required while in the building.

Bill Nockles

William Arthur “Bill” Nockles

Bill Nockles died in Sudbury at the age of 94. He and his widow Diane were both teachers at the Lincoln School. Full obituary.