Obituaries | The Swellesley Report - News about Wellesley, Massachusetts

Jim Marcotte: An historic loss for Wellesley

May 28, 2017 by bbrown Leave a Comment

jim marcotte wellesley Those in Wellesley and beyond are mourning the passing of James N. Marcotte, a Wellesley resident and home renovator/remodeler whose talents were on display everywhere from the PBS series This Old House to the Wellesley Historical Society’s buildings. Marcotte, who was 61, passed away on May 19 after being stricken with AML Leukemia and complications.

I got to know Jim over the past 3 years as a fellow Wellesley Historical Society board member, both at at our meetings and fundraisers. He always greeted me as though we’d known each other forever, and I enjoyed hearing his stories about his place in Vermont, his skiing exploits and his pets. His passion for leading the Historical Society’s efforts to refurbish the Stanwood House at 323 Washington St., to use as its new headquarters was truly remarkable. I don’t know anything about anything when it comes to such matters, but Jim always explained the ins and outs of what was involved in everything from paint colors to ADA compliance to the finer points of construction with equal clarity and enthusiasm. What’s more, Jim and his wife Kimberlee Dow spearheaded the Society’s scholarship program, which since 2008 has awarded 22 scholarships to graduating Wellesley High School seniors.

Wellesley Historical Society Stanwood House — Inside the Stanwood house at 323 Washington St.

According to an online obituary posted here, Jim and his wife’s Dovercraft Construction operated in Wellesley for over 40 years. Jim served in assorted leadership roles in his industry and gained some fame when in 1981 when Dovercraft was hired to restore the Bigelow house in Newton for the PBS series This Old House.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at the Wellesley Universalist Unitarian Church 309 Washington St, Wellesley Hills at 1 pm on Thursday, June 8.

A fund has been established to benefit the EM NARI Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made to the James Marcotte Fund c/o Boston Private Bank 336 Washington Street, Wellesley MA 02481. Donations may also be sent to Dana Farber Cancer Institute; DFCI Adult Leukemia Research Fund Attn: Dr Eric Winer Hematologic Malignancies Division Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

Babson College mourns loss of Dan Cooney, Olivia Brodt

April 11, 2017 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Olivia Brodt, Babso The Babson College community is mourning the loss of two student-athletes — Olivia Brodt and Daniel Cooney — who died this month.

Brodt, a sophomore who played as a setter on Babson’s volleyball team, passed away from cancer on April 2. Hailing from Centerville, Mass., Brodt was a Presidential Scholar at Babson, and was a member of the Babson Dance Ensemble and Chi Omega sorority.

Women’s volleyball head coach Eric Neely said: “She had an extraordinary character, drive to succeed, and ability to connect with others.”

Separately, sophomore Cooney, a pitcher on the baseball team, died early on April 9 after being struck by a CSX freight train in Southborough.

Dan Cooney, Babson College Transit Police were called to the Southborough Commuter Rail station, which is approximately 12 miles from Wellesley, for a report of a person possibly struck by a train. Transit Police and Southborough firefighters responded to the scene.

Foul play is not suspected. The death remains under investigation by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office and Transit Police.

Cooney was a graduate of St. Peter’s Preparatory School in New Jersey and was Hudson County Baseball Player of the Year in 2015.

Our condolences to the Brodt and Cooney families, and to the Babson community.

Beloved former Wellesley Free Library director passes

January 30, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

This from the Wellesley Free Library:

Anne L. Reynolds, beloved former director of the Wellesley Free Library, died on January 20, 2017 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Former Head of Technical Services at the library, Anne brought a whole-systems vision to the library: its strengths, its challenges, and its vibrant possibilities. She led the automation of the library catalog and made Wellesley one of the most innovative libraries in the area. She was instrumental in the creation of The Wellesley Free Library Centennial Fund in 1983. In 1985, both Anne and the fund won high praise from Library Journal. “The most outstanding fundraising program I studied is that of the Wellesley Free Library…Anne Reynolds continues the strong leadership of the library—services are sharp, staff morale is high.” Anne’s focus, determination, good cheer and warmth forged an enduring positive partnership with the Town of Wellesley and the library’s patrons. Her vision and energy continue to benefit the library to this day.

SERVICES: The family will hold a private celebration of Anne’s life at a later date. Visit: www.jvwoodfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book.

MassBay mourns Dr. Bruce Jackson, longtime faculty member, leading forensic DNA scientist

November 19, 2016 by bbrown 1 Comment

obama and jackson — President Barack Obama congratulates Dr. Bruce Jackson on his 2011 Presidential Award of Excellence for Science, Mathematics and Engineering in the Oval Office, Jan. 27, 2011.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

MassBay Community College is mourning the loss of Dr. Bruce Jackson, a long-time faculty member and a leading forensic DNA scientist who died Thursday.

Jackson joined MassBay in 1993 and had served as chair of its Biotechnology and Forensic DNA Science program. He had won numerous awards for his work as a scientist and scholar, including a 1995 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a 2008 Fulbright Award, and a 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, Engineering Mentoring that was bestowed upon him at the White House by President Obama.

Jackson is considered a leading expert in forensic DNA science and related fields. In the early 1990s, he began to experiment with DNA markers to determine if ethnic-specific genotypes could link his paternal (Y-chromosome) and/or maternal (mitochondrial) lineages to their African groups of origin. Together with Dr. Bert Ely from the University of South Carolina, he formalized this research as the “Roots Project,” a nationally acclaimed effort that has helped link African-American families with slavery roots to their ancestral tribes and families in West Africa using DNA analysis.

During his time at MassBay, he mentored, taught, and helped launch the careers of forensic scientists, marine biologists, biotechnologists, researchers and educators currently working in the field.

Jackson was born in New Haven, Conn., the eighth of nine children. He received his B.S. in biology from the University of Houston; his M.S. in genetics from the University of California, Davis; his M.A. in molecular and cell biology from Brandeis University; and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He received post-doctoral training at Boston University School of Medicine, where he was appointed to the research faculty in 1993. He leaves two children, Corey and Leah.

The Bruce Jackson Scholarship Fund has been established in his memory at MassBay Community College.

Wellesley mourns 2014 WHS grad and Crossfit enthusiast Nicholas Leonhardt

November 2, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Nicholas Leonhardt, Wellesley — *Nicholas Leonhardt*

Wellesley is mourning the loss of 20-year-old Nicholas Leonhardt, a 2014 WHS graduate who died suddenly in Utah over the weekend. An honor student and soccer player while at Wellesley High, Leonhardt is survived by his parents as well as two siblings who currently attend WHS.

A Crossfit enthusiast and coach, Leonhardt is described in his legacy.com death notice as “a funny, kind and sociable young man who enjoyed working out, traveling, spending time with his family and friends, hiking, camping and skiing.” He was most recently working at the Three Points Center in LaVerkin, Utah, where he helped others who battled anxiety.

Visiting hours will be at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley on Sunday, Nov. 6 from 2-6PM. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul Church, Wellesley, on Monday, Nov. 7 at 10AM. Relatives and friends are invited. Interment in Glenwood Cemetery, South Natick. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Leonhardt’s memory to Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

We extend our sympathies to the family.