Nancy Benecchi
Retired Revere Special Education Teacher
Nancy M. Benecchi, 68, of Wakefield formerly of Revere, died on Saturday, Nov. 16 at her residence.
Born in Revere on Nov. 1, 1951, the daughter of the late Valder and Jeannette (Foppiano) Benecchi, Ms. Benecchi was a graduate of Revere High School, Class of 1969, Boston College, Class of 1973 and received her Master’s Degree in Education from Leslie College. She was a retired Special Education Teacher for the Revere school system for over 45 years. Ms. Benecchi had been a Wakefield resident for the past 22 years.
She is survived by her brother, Alan J. Benecchi and his wife, Christine of Burlington, her sister, Diane M. Pappas and her husband, James of Wakefield; three nieces: Jennifer Hammond, Leah Drexler and Lauren Pappas and her nephew, Brandan Benecchi. Ms. Benecchi is also survived by nine great-nieces and nephews.
Her Funeral will be held from the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Thursday at 9 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. Visitation for family and friends will be held at the Funeral Home today, Wednesday, from 4 to 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Communitas Inc., 60D Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA 01880.
Leonard Hillman
Former Revere Resident
Leonard Hillman of Peabody, formerly of Revere and Delray Beach, Fla., died on Nov. 12.
He was the beloved husband of Marcia (Holzman) Hillman, devoted father of Francine Cook and her late husband, Howard Cook and Anita Horowitz and her husband, Rabbi Bernie Horowitz, dear brother of the late Hyman Hillman and Sidney Hillman, loving grandfather of Justin Cook and his wife, Molly, Cara Kepnes and her husband, Joshua, Lindsay Weiss and her husband, Michael and Cassie Bruner and her husband, Jeffrey. He is also survived by eight great grandchildren: Ari, Avery, Brooklyn, Jael, Leah, Nya, Kayla and Meyer.
Services were held at the Torf Funeral Chapel, 151 Washington Ave., Cary Sq., Chelsea on Thursday, Nov. 14. Interment was in Tifereth Israel of Revere Cemetery, Everett. Donations in Leonard’s name may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Visit www.torffuneralservice.com for guestbook.
Joseph DeLena, MA, Ed.D., BCFE
Revere Educator and Administrator
Family and friends are invited to attend Visiting Hours on Thursday, Nov. 21 for Dr. Joseph V. DeLena in the Vertuccio & Smith, Home for Funerals, 773 Broadway (Rte. 107) Revere from 9 to 10:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Anthony of Padua Church, 250 Revere St., Revere at 11 a.m. and immediately followed by interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett.
Dr. DeLena died on Wednesday, Nov.14 in Hospice in Seminole, Fla., where he had retired over 25 years ago.
Born and raised in Revere, he was a 1944 graduate of St. Francis Seraphic High School in Andover and a 1951 graduate of Merrimack College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts. He continued his education at Suffolk University, graduating in 1953. He further attended and graduated from Calvin Coolidge College where he received his Doctorate in Education. He taught for several years within the Revere School System and from about 1959 was the Director of Mental Health System for the City of Revere retiring in 1981. He also held the position of Assistant Superintendent for the City of Revere for several years.
He joined the U.S. Army in August of 1946 and served until December of 1947. Continuing with military service, he was a member of the Army National Reserves for over 25 years, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
He was the beloved son of the late Joseph and Theresa (Quintina) DeLena; devoted brother of Robert DeLena and his wife, Joan of Melrose, Richard DeLena and his wife, Marilyn of Miami, Fla., and the late Frank DeLena and Louis, Jerry and Ronald DeLena, Catherine Penza, Rose Marotta and Gloria MacDonald. He is also lovingly survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.
For more information, please visit www.vertuccioandsmith.com.
Sheila Garofalo
Selfless Wife, Loving and Caring Mother and Grandmother
Sheila E. (Murray) Garofalo, 79, of Revere died peacefully at Massachusetts General Hospital on Nov. 18 surrounded by loved ones.
Born July 23, 1940 in Roxbury, she was predeceased by her parents, William and Mae (Bransfield) Murray of Roxbury; her eight brothers and her late husband of 39 years, Domenic “Buzzy†Garofalo, a retired Captain of the Revere Fire Department.
In 1958, she graduated from vocational school with a certificate in hairstyling. She and her late husband, Buzzy, met while they were both working at Filene’s department store in Boston and married shortly after in 1960.
Sheila was a devoted wife and loving and caring mother. Selfless almost to a fault, she cared more than anything for the well-being and happiness of her loved ones.
A proud and meticulous homemaker for most of her life, after raising her children, she worked several years as an aide at the former Atlanticare Nursing Home in Revere where she relished every moment lending a helping hand or bringing smiles to the faces of the residents.
A bingo enthusiast and talented knitter and crocheter, her true passion in her later years was her grandchildren. She was a delightful cook especially of Italian cuisine and loved celebrating Sunday dinner with her family.
While always there to listen and help in any way she could, she never complained about her own problems even in the face of serious illness.
Sheila is survived by her three loving sons and their spouses, Kenneth and Linda of Revere, Chris and Julie of Norwood, New Jersey, and Phillip and Kim of Lynnfield; her five adoring grandchildren: Matthew, Sean, Domenic, Nathan,and Sophia; and her caring brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ted and Elaine Dzik of Palm Harbor, Fla. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held from the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere St, Revere on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 4 to 8 p.m. Her Funeral will be held on Friday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. at the Buonfiglio Funeral Home followed by a 10 a.m. Funeal Mass at Saint Anthony’s Church in Revere. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Roger Litman
Headed North Shore Fuel of Revere for 45 years
Roger A. Litman, 83, of Needham and East Falmouth (born in Lynn) and formerly of Point of Pines, Revere, died Nov. 1 after a long struggle with dementia.
Roger was a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (BS, Chemical Engineering) and Northeastern University (MS, Engineering Management).
Following his college graduation and marriage, he served in the Army Signal Corps, based at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Trained as an engineer, he worked for firms in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, for which he relocated his family to Laredo, Texas for two years. There he learned Spanish, which he used with some skill and much enthusiasm.
Upon the death of his father in 1971, he took over the management of North Shore Fuel, Inc. at 100 VFW Parkway in Revere. This site was where his grandfather, Jacob Litman, an immigrant from Russia had a hut selling coal and ice in the 1920s. He ran the company for 45 years expanding from oil into HVAC contracting. He was a member of the Revere Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis along with many other industry related organizations. He continued to educate himself throughout his career with courses in fuel conservation and energy. Growing up in Point-of-Pines, Revere a few blocks from the ocean inspired his love of the water and boating (as the former owner of the cabin cruisers Fuel ‘N’ Around I, II, and III) and fishing, specifically for Blues and Stripers in Nantucket Sound. He was known for his excellent smoked bluefish and for loving anything with blueberries. Tinkering in his workshop, traveling, reading, photography and gardening were many of his other hobbies. In his better days, it seemed like he could build or fix anything. During any clear, frigid day in the winter with a big smile, you would hear him say, “Good weather, they are burning oilâ€. The unseasonably mild temperature on Halloween this year may have been too much for him to bear.
He was the husband of Beverly “Bevi†(Weinstein) Litman for 61 years. He leaves his son, Peter Litman and his wife, Ann Harada of New York, N.Y. and his daughter, Jill Litman Weiner and her husband, Peter Weiner of Needham. He was Zayde, affectionately known as “Zâ€, to Cole Weiner, Dana Weiner, and Elvis Litman; brother of Dr. Michael Litman of Revere and Lynda Saltz and her husband, Dr. Stephen Saltz of Boca Raton, Fla.; son of the late, Max and Tillie (Toby) Litman. He also leaves his brothers –in-law, Stephen (Lelia Stokes) Weinstein and Ricky (Janice) Weinstein and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was the son-in-law of the late, Doris and Kelly Weinstein.
Services were held on Nov. 4, at Temple Aliyah in Needham where he was a founder and former president. Interment was at Sharon Memorial Park. Donations in his memory may be made to Temple Aliyah, 1664 Central Avenue, Needham, MA 02492 or Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.
