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Town mourns Wellesley High Building Manager Tom Zinck

April 7, 2021 by Bob Brown 4 Comments

Those in Wellesley and beyond this week mourn the passing of Tom Zinck, a proud Wellesley High Class of ’72 graduate who served as the current school’s only building manager. The ubiquitous Zinck, who worked more than 32 years for the town, died at the age of 67 after a short-term diagnosis of peritoneal cancer (see full obituary).

Zinck is survived by his wife, Diane, who is secretary to the principal at the school, and daughters Katherine and Elizabeth. The family resides in Holliston.

Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum informed the WHS community on Tuesday of Zinck’s passing. “I’m writing to you this evening to share sad news that impacted our school community today and that many of us will be grappling with in the foreseeable future… Not only is [Tom’s] position one that touches every corner of this building and every event that takes place within it, but he was simply one of the kindest, most hard working, and most thoughtful members of our community.  Diane is equally loved and equally integral to all that we do here. This news will challenge the high school for a long time to come.”

An online fundraiser has been launched to help the Zinck family with expenses.

Visiting hours for friends and family are 4-8pm on Friday, April 9 at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home 477 Washington St., Wellesley. Private funeral at the Church of Saint Paul, Wellesley, Saturday, April 10. The funeral will be available to view at 10am via live stream at sjspwellesley.org by clicking on the St. Paul Live Stream link. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, immediately following funeral – 11am, 148 Brook St., Wellesley, all are welcome to attend burial.

We share our condolences with the family and friends.

Tom and Diane Zinck

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Filed Under: Obituaries

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Wellesley mourns passing of Toby Stover, a dedicated protector of the environment

March 4, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The sudden death of Wellesley’s Toby Stover this past weekend in a mountain biking accident has given rise to tributes from those in town who were his friends and who worked alongside him on town government matters.

A brief obituary for the 46-year-old Stover has been published, with plans for a more complete one to come.

His passing was acknowledged Monday toward the end of the Planning Board meeting. And a statement was read at Thursday night’s Natural Resources Commission meeting that cited Stover’s scientific expertise, which he put to work with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Impaired Waterways Division and locally with Wellesley’s Wetlands Protection Committee, which he joined in 2017.

“Toby Stover was a quiet but confident professional both in his career and service to the town. He was a gentle and thoughtful person who was dedicated to protecting our natural resources and a true advocate for our earth and its inhabitants. Toby will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and worked with him,” said Brandon Schmitt, director of the Natural Resources Commission.

We share our condolences with Toby Stover’s family and friends as well.

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Filed Under: Obituaries

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London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley man dies while mountain biking in Ipswich

March 1, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A Wellesley man died Sunday while mountain biking at Willowdale State Forest in Ipwich. The man’s identity has not been disclosed by authorities.

According to the Salem News, the 46-year-old man had been biking with a friend, and the cause of the crash and death were under investigation.

Ipswich police and fire, as well as state and environmental police responded to the accident, which took place on Department of Conservation and Recreation land, according to the report.

We’ll provide an update on this sad story when we learn more.

More from WBZ-TV:

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Filed Under: Neighbors, Obituaries

Little Arnie's

Wellesley remembers Tony Lumley, Sr., as “such a present parent”

January 4, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

In reviewing five years of texts with her friend Anthony “Tony” Lumley, Sr., Wellesley’s Betsy Komjathy says it was all about him being “proactive, supportive and in good humor” about his kids, as well as their schoolmates. “He was such a present parent,” Komjathy says.

Wellesley and beyond are now mourning Lumley, a Boston resident who passed away from coronavirus on Dec. 22 at the age of 56.

A fundraiser has been launched to support the family during this most difficult time. All funds raised will be used to help support the Lumley children with unforeseen medical and living expenses, as well as college tuition.

Lumley is survived by his four children, who like himself, all took part in the METCO educational program for Boston residents, as well as two grandchildren and his fiancee Gwen Johnson. His oldest son, Eric, graduated from Wayland High School; Nykia and Anthony, Jr., graduated from Wellesley High, and Samone will graduate from Wellesley High in the spring. Lumley’s aunt, Carla Lumley, works for the Wellesley METCO program.

According to the fundraiser, organized by Lumley’s mother Beverley and Wellesley High’s Diane Zinck, “To say ‘Mr. Tony’ was a loyal family man is an understatement. As a loving single father, his entire world centered around loving, providing for and taking care of his beloved children and grandchildren. Lumley was a father who seemed to have the power to be in three places at once. He supported all of his children at all times, attending every single cheerleading event, football game, basketball game, and educational ceremony.”

Lumley’s mother told us that “My son Anthony had a huge presence in the Wellesley school system and the community. He and his children were quite well known.”

According to Anthony Lumley, Sr.’s formal obituary, the Annual Caribbean Festival was among his yearly highlights, when he opened his home and shared a BBQ “that gave us all an opportunity to gather at the end of the summer and enjoy each other’s company.”

Komjathy, a Friends of Wellesley METCO board member, says when she recalls Lumley she thinks of the pride he had in his kids.

“He went to all of their activities that he possibly could, and if he wasn’t at something, it was because he was at another kid’s event,’ she says, fondly recalling sitting near him and family members at sports events. Lumley epitomized being part of the two-way community that the METCO program hopes to foster, she says, as he felt part of both the Boston and Wellesley communities.

Services for Anthony Lumley, Sr., take place on Jan. 11 in Mattapan at Davis Funeral Home.

lumley family
Lumley family photo from Gofundme page
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Filed Under: METCO, Obituaries, Wellesley High School

The Jeopardy! answer is… Wellesley

November 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a bit of a belated tribute to Alex Trebek, the longtime Jeopardy! game show host who passed away earlier this month.

Jeopardy! fans have created a database, the J! Archive, of more than 400,000 clues, and Wellesley has made more than its fair share of appearances, largely thanks to one of our notable colleges.

More than 40 answers or questions include some form of Wellesley in them, most related to Wellesley College, and a handful about famous alum Hillary Rodham Clinton.

via GIPHY

Though Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, has also made about a dozen appearances.

Examples:

Clue: Lawyer Henry Durant founded this college for women on his estate near Boston in 1870

Answer (in the form of a question): Wellesley College

Clue: This New Zealand capital is named for Arthur Wellesley, a British duke

Answer: Wellington

Wellesley even made it into the Final Jeopardy! round once, under the category Secretaries of State.

Clue: The 2 Secretaries of State who received B.A.s in political science from Wellesley, 10 years apart

Answer: Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton

Six residents are listed as having played on the show:

Tom Walker, a lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts Season 21 1-time champion: $23,201 + $2,000. Father’s Jeopardy! Message Board user name: ProudFather
Wade Markel, an Army captain from Wellesley, Massachusetts Season 13 player (1996-12-09).
Beth Ford, a professor of African-American literature from Wellesley, Massachusetts Season 25 player (2009-06-11).
Brian Donahue, a research scientist originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts Season 9 2-time champion: $12,398.
Laura Rigge, a junior at Wellesley College from Emmaus, Pennsylvania 2013 College Championship quarterfinalist: $5,000.
Fariha Ali, an attorney from Wellesley, Massachusetts Season 32 player (2016-03-31).

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Filed Under: Entertainment, Obituaries

Obituary: Diana Saunders helped Wellesley bloom beautifully

August 19, 2020 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

It is with sadness that we share the news that Diana Saunders Juliano, long-time Wellesley resident and member of Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild (WGG), died on July 27, 2020 due to complications from breast cancer.

Diana Saunders Juliano, Wellesley
Diana Saunders Juliano, Wellesley

Throughout her ordeal, Diana in regular emails to her friends and family managed to simultaneously keep things light and hopeful while conveying the reality of her situation. She spoke often of her faith in God and her thankfulness for the people that were put in her path — her doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, as well as the many friends and family who  emailed and called. Her one complaint was that the pandemic precluded visitors. Her many admirers concurred.

We were in WGG together, and the picture above says it all about Diana. She was a woman of style, grace, optimism and unflagging energy. She could plan a wedding, organize a move, supervise a major home renovation, travel the world, take care of business at work, and provide a loving home, all with the back of her hand.

Diana is survived by her husband Philip and her daughter Caroline-Camilla Saunders, as well as many other family members and friends.

Here is a link to Diana’s obituary.

There will be a Catholic funeral mass held for Diana on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Mourners may attend the service at the church, or view the service online.

DATE OF SERVICES: Thur., Aug. 20, 2020

TIME: 11am

LOCATION: St. Cecilia’s Church, 18 Belvidere St., Boston, MA 02115

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Obituaries

An appreciation: Carol Chaoui, a wonderful Wellesley woman

August 4, 2020 by Bob Brown 12 Comments

Photo by Karen Griswold

 

There was never any shortage of Carol Chaoui stories. I literally could have written about her on any single day since we met some 20 years ago as Hunnewell Elementary School parents, whether it was documenting her running achievements, her international flair, her family’s exploits, her fundraising efforts, her fashion style, her food finds or her living the heck out of cancer.

But this is the story I never wanted to write about Carol. She passed away on Aug. 3 at the age of 56 from metastatic breast cancer surrounded by her family—husband Amin, children Adam, Lina, Rayan, and Darin, and dogs Finn & Ollie (formal obituary here).

Fast friends

I actually felt kind of awkward writing about Carol, since we were friends, so I kept it mainly to getting the word out about her various events. I generally left the profiles to other media outlets, be it Runner’s World, WEEI and its Jimmy Fund telethon, or local TV news stations. Though I’d boast of her to friends if we’d see her during training runs.

I joked with Carol about her ubiquity, but she defended it as the best way to boost awareness of metastatic breast cancer. The word “passionate” gets overused, but it applied to Carol in spades. So she smacked down with pro wrestlers, hung with pro football player and stroke survivor Tedi Bruschi, and joined Boston Marathon champ Bill Rodgers on a panel. 

I really got to know Carol before she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and thyroid cancer in 2014. Before she became Wonder Woman, a persona and costume she embraced at road races along with her many caped and devoted superhero friends.

Wellesley, St. Patrick's Day
You couldn’t miss Carol at the Boston Marathon

To me, she was that tall redheaded woman who always seemed to be running at the same, fairly fast pace as me back in the day. More than once we’d push each other across 5K, 10K and half marathon courses. 

My most memorable race vs. Carol took place at the Annual Officer Stewart Savage Memorial 5K and Kids Fun Run at Babson College, not long after one of her early cancer treatments. She swore she was just going to be “taking it easy,” but of course the next thing you know we are duking it out halfway through the race. And I am determined not to be the jerk to pass a woman recovering from chemotherapy treatments right at the finish line. I did not want to see myself on the cover of the Wellesley Townsman the next week doing that. So I sped up and Carol would have to beat me on another day.

For someone as competitive as Carol, I always found it refreshing that she seemed so chill at her kids’ sporting events. She just wanted them to enjoy whatever it was they were interested in, and wasn’t focused on them following in her running footsteps. 

Two of our sons played soccer together for a couple of years, and Carol and I would often sit together under the shade trees at Elm Bank Reservation and yammer away about running, the kids, cancer, her time in and trips to Switzerland, and all those bakeries and cafes she seemed to know so well. She had huge affection for her family, but always took great interest in ours, too, remembering minute details of what the kids were doing.

A different speed

Carol’s running became legendary in these parts as the years went on, not so much for her speed, but for her determination in knocking off marathon after marathon despite the cancer and treatment ravaging her body. I’d run into her and see this or that part of her body bruised or bandaged, and it would turn out not to be from cancer treatment, but from her falling during a long training run.

She’d often take on an apologetic tone for being “so slow,” but eventually talked about coming to terms with being a fast walker. She was spurred on by her dozens of running friends, as well as members of her family who ran alongside her at marathons and other races. She completed a series of tough races, including the New York City Marathon, just this past fall.

While my work schedule didn’t allow me to join in many of her Friday morning runs, which commonly involved stops at local shops for photo ops, themed costumes (St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, etc.), and fancy treat-fests at her anything-but-sterile Wellesley home at the end, I did make it to a few as one of the rare guys on hand. 

This is where Carol’s running generosity could be seen, as she mentored budding marathoners as well as couch-to-5K runners. More importantly, she fostered a caring running community.

Many in town learned of Carol through the annual Thanksgiving morning Wellesley Turkey Trot she started that attracted thousands of runners and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes, including research to cure metastatic breast cancer. When my wife, Deborah, spoke with Carol this past week, the Turkey Trot founder was still trying to figure out whether this fall’s race could go on in some fashion in light of the pandemic, as she hoped to raise funds that would go to the school system as well as the Wellesley COVID-19 Relief Fund.

 

Vintage Vogue, Wellesley
Carol in fashion at Vintage Vogue 2019 (Photo credit: John Mottern)

 

Beyond the Turkey Trot, Carol raised more money to fund cancer research through her own marathon running, and more still through her annual Vintage Vogue Runway for Research fashion show at which Carol strutted her stuff.  Friends who otherwise would never have gone near a fashion show donned the latest styles and hit the catwalk. Hey, she got people to wear full body turkey costumes at the Turkey Trot, too.

Carol’s fashion powers knew no bounds. We’ve seen celebrities like Prince own one color, like purple. But Carol owned both neon pink and orange, as anyone spotting her and Amin walking their pups can attest.

think beyond pink basketball
We had Carol’s back

Carol rocked the pink this past February at the Think Beyond Pink basketball doubleheader at Wellesley High School, where she and WHS grad Harry Clark, who recently passed away, inspired patrons to donate funds to their causes.

That was actually the last time I had the chance to sit and chat with Carol at a sports event. Even though her sickness and treatments had weakened her physically, her spirit remained strong. We swapped updates on our families, our health, and of course, running. Just like old friends do.


Our condolences go out to Amin and the entire Chaoui family, as well as to Carol’s many friends.

Visiting hours will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., (Rt.16) in Wellesley on Thursday, Aug. 6 from 4-8pm. Relatives and friends are invited. A private funeral service will be held on Friday, Aug. 7.

You can show your support for Carol in donating to: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Philanthropy, 10 Brookline Place West 6th floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226, Memo: Carol Chaoui’s Superhero MBC Fund, http://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/teamwonderwoman , as well as BCRF, C/O Rebecca Wasserman, 28 West 44th St., Suite 609 NYC, NY 10036.

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Filed Under: Neighbors, Obituaries

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April 12 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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