Lawrence L. Langer, a leading scholar of the Holocaust and a longtime Wellesley resident, has died at the age of 94.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Sandy; son Andy Langowitz (Nan); daughter Ellen Lasri (Nissim), 5 grandchildren; and 3 great grandchildren, according to an online obituary.

A New York Times obituary on Mr. Langer referred to him as an “unblinking scholar of Holocaust literature,” and whose “assessment of the Holocaust as an event so vast and evil that it defies moral framing helped deepen scholarly and popular understanding of the atrocity.”

The Langers came to the Boston area so that Mr. Langer could teach at Simmons College, where he was an American Literature professor, and earn a Ph.D. in American Literature from Harvard University. Among his works was 1991’s Holocaust Testimonies: The Ruins of Memory, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. He received many other awards and recognitions.

A documentary titled “Lawrence L. Langer: A Life in Testimony” explores Mr. Langer’s career.

A funeral service was held on Jan. 30 at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, followed by Shiva at his late residence.

Thank you to Daniel G. Cohen for calling this obituary to our attention.

If you’d like us to run a complete obituary of your loved one on Swellesley, please send to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

John Podger, a world traveler and consummate storyteller, died of natural causes in his home in Fox Hill Village, Westwood, Mass., on Dec. 23, 2023. He was 102 years old.

Mr. Podger was born on Nov. 22, 1921, in Hazaribagh, India, where his father, Reginald Owen Podger, owned a mica mine. He was raised, with his sister Molly, primarily in the greater London area by his mother, Elizabeth (Hogan) Podger, a nurse with Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.

At 17 years of age, John began his military training as a gunner for the Royal Army Artillery in Lincoln, England. At age 18, he joined the Corps of Royal Engineers where he served in India, Burma and Malaysia. His primary responsibility during World War II was to lead a Corp of Engineers tasked to build roads and airstrips along the extremely remote Arakan Coast of Burma. The airstrips served as supply mid-stations. The supplying of troops by air in Burma was instrumental in the defeat of Japan in the Burma and the Pacific region.

After the war, Mr. Podger trained as a civil engineer in London. He met his wife, Irene (Sagan) Podger during a post-war trip to Switzerland.

John was working for the Severn River Board in Malvern, England, and the couple married and lived there for several years. Due to the hardships of post-war Britain, they moved to the United States and eventually settled in Boston, where he worked for decades as a civil engineer with the consulting firm of Metcalf & Eddy. He traveled widely, living in Calcutta with his family for three years while working on a project for the World Health Organization, and overseeing projects in Egypt, Sudan, across Europe, and throughout the United States.

John enjoyed varied interests including photography, history, current events and chocolate. He loved sailing and purchased a small boat to sail on Lake Waban on the Wellesley College campus. John believed in civic duty and served for many terms as a
member of several elected (Advisory Board, Public Works) and appointed town boards in Wellesley.

After the death of his wife in 2005, Mr. Podger moved into Fox Hill Village in 2007 and was involved in many of its activities and organizations.

John is survived by his four daughters, Susan Mills of Carlisle, Mass., Jennifer Holmberg of Norwood, Mass., Nancy Podger of Longmont, Colo., and Pamela Podger of Stonington, Conn. He is also survived by two sons-in-law, William Mills III and John
Cramer; daughter-in-law Mia Mills, grandsons William Mills IV, Jack Cramer, Luke Cramer, granddaughters Katie Mills and Irena Podger, and great grandson, William Mills V.

A private tea celebration of his life will be held at Fox Hill Village for his many friends and family to share their recollections.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made in John Podger’s memory as a donation to Fox Hill Village,10 Longwood Drive, Westwood MA attention Felix Rosenwasser, in memory of John Podger.

Let the Wellesley community know of your remembrances at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Wellesley Public Schools shared the sad news this week that Loreto “Larry” Pellegrini, longtime Hunnewell Elementary School and Wellesley High School custodian, passed away on Jan. 1 at the age of 63 after a recent illness.

The Watertown resident, a 26-year National Guard member, worked at Wellesley Public Schools for nearly 4 decades.

“Larry loved his Hunnewell family and took great pride in knowing our students, families, and teachers,” said Hunnewell principal Ellen Quirk in a statement shared by Wellesley Public Schools. “In addition to taking care of the building, Larry took care of us. He played four square with our first graders, he carried cakes for the Fun Fair cake walk, he made sure our sidewalks were ice free, and he worked the lunches alongside Ms. Beckwith to make sure we got in and out of our cafegymatorium as efficiently as possible. Larry loved to participate in our Halloween parade and our staff vs. grade 5 kickball game. He welcomed every new kindergarten class and he loved getting the call to replace a paper towel roll in a classroom.”

We’re sure our Hunnewell grads made some extra work for Mr. Pellegrini and his colleagues along the way.

A celebration of  life and service will be held on Thursday, Jan. 4, in Watertown. See complete obituary.

If you’d like us to run a complete obituary of your loved one on Swellesley, please send to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Cuong Nguyen, known locally as “Tony the Tailor” since opening his Wellesley shop in the 1980s, has passed away peacefully at the age of 70.

Nguyen, of Randolph, died on Nov. 18, and a private service has been held.

He is survived by his wife, Bay Le, and 4 children.

Nguyen immigrated to the United States from South Vietnam in 1975, having been a tailor, and then a paratrooper in the military before arriving here.

He worked for a tailoring business in downtown Wellesley before going out on his own some 40 years ago in Lower Falls, adopting the name “Tony the Taylor.”

His shop operates at 21 Washington St., as a family business.

According to his son, Chien, Nguyen was an expert tailor (“He was very quick”), and that was his favorite part about running his business, which also offers dry cleaning.

“He very much enjoyed his work and making people happy,” Chien said.

Customers have shared tributes to Nguyen, including that “You were part of so many of our life events —proms, weddings. It was a comfort that things were always done so perfectly!”

Outside of work, Nguyen liked to dine out and travel, but mainly relished spending time with his family.

We share our condolences with family and friends.

If you’d like us to run a complete obituary of your loved one on Swellesley, please send to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

• Wellesley obituaries, November, 2023