Elizabeth “Betty” Arsenault
She was warm and funny and had a wonderful sense of humor
Elizabeth “Betty” Arsenault died peacefully on September 6, 2024, surrounded by her family. The loving wife, mother and grandmother passed away at the age of 79.
Betty was born in Boston to her parents, William and Marion. She grew up in Boston’s West End, spending summers on Revere Beach, before her family moved to Revere full-time. After graduating from Julie Billiart High School, she went to work for New England Telephone Company. She took time off to raise her family but returned and eventually retired in 1997.
Betty was warm and funny and had a wonderful sense of humor. She was a good listener and always gave thoughtful advice. She found joy in simple things. She loved watching Boston sports. She was an avid reader and a skilled Scrabble player. She loved the ocean, and her perfect day would be enjoying a Kelly’s lobster roll on Revere Beach with her husband, Paul. Her home was always open to family and friends. She surrounded her children with love and support, instilling in them a deep appreciation for each other.
She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Paul Joseph Arsenault as well as her parents, William and Marion. She is survived by her children: Kerri, Edward and Erin, her son in-law, Richard, her grandchildren: Nicolas, Ava and Benjamin, as well as many nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind her sisters: Patricia Raimo of California, Mamie Shaheen of Massachusetts and her brother, Edward Mann of Arizona
A service for Betty will be held Saturday, September 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a prayer service at 2 p.m. at Paul Buonfiglio Funeral Home, 128 Revere Street, Revere, MA 02151.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Betty’s name to a charity of your choice.
Robert Helfer
He will be forever in the hearts of his family
Family and friends attended visiting hours on Tuesday, September 10th in the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza Beechwood Home for Funerals, 262 Beach St., Revere for Robert L. Helfer who died on Tuesday, September 3rd at the Massachusetts General Hospital following a brief illness, he was 76 years old. A Funeral Service followed the visitation in the funeral home. Interment will be held privately.
Robert was born on March 26, 1948, to the late Lawrence and Dorothy (Wilson) Hefler and was the youngest of three children. He was raised in Boston’s Back Bay and was educated in Boston Public Schools. He married his wife in 1971 and had one child, their son Robert. They later moved to East Boston for many years and to Revere in 1998. Robert spent most of his working career as a Bus Driver for the M.B.T.A. His career spanned over 20 years.
Robert loved being with his family and in his spare time he would have weekly breakfast with his friends. He was a huge wrestling fan and he would tune in to watch Judge Judy. He enjoyed driving and in retirement he would drive all over. He enjoyed meeting new people and finding out about them.
He leaves this world to join his sweetheart Claire, he will be forever in the hearts of his family.
He was the beloved husband of 52 years of the late Claire N. (Mathison) Helfer, the loving father of Robert M. Helfer and his wife, Teresa and the cherished papa of Brendon T. Helfer and Jamie M. Helfer, all of Revere; the dear brother of Barabra Wilke – Mottram and Virginia “Ginny” Burnham, both of Florida; the treasured uncle of Debra Roux of Buzzards Bay, Lynn M. Wilke – Nason of Methuen and the late Laura Wilke.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Robert’s memory to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.?
To send online condolences, please visit www.vertucciosmithvazza.com.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care and direction of the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals.
Lester A. Hiscoe, Sr.
October 10, 1933- July 20, 2024
“The kid with the shotgun arm,” Lester A. Hiscoe, Sr. passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Charleston, WV. He was 90 years young.
He is survived by his two children, Lesley A. Russo, of Charleston, WV and Lester A Hiscoe, Jr. of New York, NY; his daughter -in-law Barbara Hiscoe, of New York, NY; and his two grandsons, Nicholas Russo, of Barboursville, WV and Jack Hiscoe of New York, NY. His wife of 61 years, Gerturde Hiscoe, preceded him in death in 2022.
Lester or “Sonny” as he was called by his mother and sister, was born in Revere on October 10, 1933 to the late Leslie Charles Hiscoe and Louise Chasity Hiscoe.
He was a standout “all-scholastic” baseball player at Revere High School, the Boston Globe dubbing him “the kid with the shot-gun arm” when he threw the ball from Fenway Park’s centerfield wall to home plate.
Lester was drafted by several major league baseball organizations from high school and played professional baseball for several years, first with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm team and later with the Kansas City Athletics. Although his baseball career was sidelined after a string of injuries, Lester never lost his love for baseball and athletics.
While raising his family in Manchester, NH and working as an insurance investigator for Mutual of Omaha, Lester founded the Manchester Independent Baseball League, a league dedicated to giving every young player a chance to play.
He also ran the local YMCA’s men basketball league for many years, co-founded and played in a men’s senior touch football league and continued to play competitive softball and basketball late into his life.
Upon retirement, Lester and his wife moved from Manchester, NH to Charleston, WV.
In his later years, Lester loved regaling his family and friends with stories of his athletic adventures. He also became passionate about animals and lit up around his beloved dog, Dixie.
Services will be private for family only. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
José Antonio Mazzotti
Distinguished Peruvian poet, scholar and professor
Jose’ Antonio Mazzotti, March 22, 1961 – September 5, 2024, passed away peacefully at the age of 63, surrounded by his loving family. True to his indefatigable spirit, he spent his final days writing and editing.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Corbett of Medford, his three children: Gabriel José of Chelsea, Lucas Corbett and his wife, Susan Zhou of Brooklyn and Marcus Corbett and his partner, Gabriela Martinez of Medford. He was the son of the late Luis Enrique Mazzotti and the late Rosa Ramos de Mazzotti, both of Lima, and the brother of the late Humberto Mazzotti of Montreal. He is also survived by his brothers, Luis and Oscar, as well as by his large extended family in Peru, the United States and Canada.
Revered for his poetry, respected for his academic writing and research, admired for his cultural activism in the field of Peruvian and Latin American studies, José Antonio was, above all, loved as a kind and generous human being with a legion of friends, family, colleagues, students and admirers.
José Antonio was born in Lima, Peru in 1961 and emigrated to the United States in 1988. He received his doctorate at Princeton in 1993, and spent the following decades teaching, researching, and guest lecturing at various academic institutions including at Temple, Harvard, Brown and Pavia (Italy) universities. He received an honorary doctorate at the Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima (2023). At Tufts University, he was the King Philip VI of Spain Professor of Spanish Culture and Civilization and Professor of Latin American literature. His academic work focuses on colonial literature, Andean chronicles, Creole cultures, contemporary Latin American poetry and the linguistic and cultural documentation of Amazonian indigenous groups.
He authored over 100 articles and essays on significant Peruvian cultural and historical figures such as Inca Garcilaso de La Vega and Cesar Vallejo. He founded the International Association of Peruvianists in 1995, and since then, has served as its president. Since 2010, he has also served as the director of Revista de Crítica Literaria Latinoamericana, a leading publication for the study and analysis of Latin American literatures. His many research publications include the seminal Coros mestizos del Inca Garcilaso (1996 and 2023; translated into English as Incan Insights in 2008) and powerful and polemical Lima fundida (2016, translated to English as The Creole Invention of Peru in 2019).
An intellectual of global reach, he put together more than ten international conferences in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He was also – and foremost – a prolific and accomplished poet. His first poetry collection, Poemas no recogidos en libro, was awarded the Túpac Amaru Poetry Prize from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1981. Later in life, in 2018, the anthology of his collected works, El Zorro y la Luna, was awarded the prestigious José Lezama Lima International Poetry Prize by Casa de las Américas in Havana.
Always at the center of his poetic and academic endeavors was the pursuit of social justice, an advocacy for decolonial thought and the denunciation of the brutality of power and its privileges. The themes he explored involved the complexities of identity, migration and the intersection of cultures. Finally, Jose Antonio was an inspirational teacher and generous mentor to his students and young scholars His example of intellectual integrity and commitment to a more egalitarian future continues to inspire poets, writers, and scholars worldwide.
Friends and family are invited to visiting hours at the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals, 262 Beach St., REVERE on Thursday, September 12th from 4 to 7 p.m. with a service including poetry readings and other orations at 6 p.m. There will also be a memorial service at the Goddard Chapel at Tufts University on September 14th at 11 a.m. for his many colleagues and the Tufts community.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Frank “Franny” Scigliano, Jr.
Charmed thousands of customers for over 50 years with his wit and humor at his family owned Suffolk Diner in Revere
Frank V. “Franny” Scigliano, Jr. of Danvers, Massachusetts passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, September 8, 2024.
Frank was born in Boston on December 4,1934, the loving son of the late Frank V. Scigliano, Sr. and E. Frances “Pete” (Peterson) Scigliano. He was raised in East Boston‘s Harborview section.
Frank was an extremely proud graduate of The Boston Latin School, Class of 1954, the same year in which he led his school to a state championship in golf.
Upon graduation, Frank decided to work at the family business, alongside his parents, at The Suffolk Diner in Revere. Frank would continue to proudly work at the diner for over 50 years. Frank would host and serve thousands of customers over the years, charming them with his wit and sense of humor. In 1957, Frank was drafted by the United States Army and served his country proudly until 1959, when he was honorably discharged during the Korean War. Shortly thereafter, he married the love of his life,Jo an, on October 10, 1959. Frank and Joan eventually moved to Lynnfield, where they raised their two children, Emmanuel and Donna.
Frank passionately loved all things golf. He was a proud member of Salem County Club for over 20 years. Upon retirement, Frank and Joan relocated to Danvers, where they spent their time doting on their cherished grandchildren.
Franny is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Joan M. (Prezioso) Scigliano of Danvers. He was the loving father of Emmanuel P. Scigliano and his wife, Dr. Lucie Wu – Scigliano of Mansfield, CT. and Donna F. Sewall and her husband, Michael of Andover. He was the cherished papa to nine grandchildren: Austin Scigliano and his wife, Kelsey Johnson, Angelica Scigliano, Amelia Scigliano, Anthony Scigliano, Anderson Scigliano, Arrington Scigliano, Addison Scigliano, Jack Sewall and Ella Sewall. He is also survived by his brother, Robert E. Scigliano of Nahant and his late wife, Geraldine and several nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend visiting hours on Tuesday, September 17 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza Beechwood Home for Funerals located at 262 Beach Street in Revere. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12 noon at The Immaculate Conception Church, l33 Beach Street, Revere. Interment will be held privately.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. For online guestbook, please visit: www.vertucciosmithvazza.com.