Obituary of James Marchese

James Marchese, retired Director of Burlington Recreation & Maintenance, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center on Saturday, August 22, 2009. The husband of Dorothy (Conti) Marchese he was 81 years old. Jim was born in Woburn. He was one of five children born to Italian immigrants the late Louis and Rose Marchese. He was raised and educated in Lexington and Concord. Jim was a veteran of the Korean War serving his country in the United States Navy. Jim and his wife settled in Burlington in 1958 where they raised their four sons and became an active part of the community of Burlington. Jim worked for over 32 years as the Director of Recreation & Maintenance for the town. He took great pride in his job. Every morning before he went to work he would drive around town checking the ball fields and parks throughout the town. He was a member of the Burlington Housing Authority for a number of years. Jim was an active member of the Burlington Knights of Columbus. He made many friendships through the K of C and they as well as the organization were an important part of his life. He worked as a bartender, was a worker for the Bingo, and was a Fourth Degree. Jim enjoyed playing cards with his fellow Knights and was a member of the weekly coffee club. He was a talented craftsman and built additions to his home. He was also a past member of the Rotary Club of Burlington. Jim was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend who will be deeply missed by those whose lives he touched. Jim was the beloved husband of 55 years of Dorothy (Conti) Marchese. He was the loving father of James Jr. Marchese & his wife Tricia of Burlington, Stephen G. Marchese & his wife Jacqueline of Burlington, Daniel L. Marchese & his wife Marjorie of MN, & Paul E. & his wife Joan Marchese of NH. He was the brother of Helen Mastroianni of Auburndale and the late Louise Carvelli, Frank and Theresa Marchese. He was the devoted grandfather of Tricia McCoy, Nicole, Stephen Jr., James, Danelle, Kyle, Kathryn, Stephen & Paul Marchese and great grandfather of Deborah, Stephen & Ailey. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Tuesday 4-8. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, BURLINGTON. In lieu of flowers memorials in Jim’s name may be made to the K of C Exceptional Children’s Fund, P. O. Box 25, Burlington, MA 01803 or The Burlington Recreation Dept. Memorial Fund, 29 Center St., Burlington, MA 01803. Co-written by Dan Marchese and Paul Marchese “As a well spent day deserves a happy sleep, so does a life well spent brings happy death.” Rest easy Dad. You played your cards well and you never quit even though life threw you a few challenges over the years. You have a family that honors you, people that respect you, and personal actions in your life and endeavors will forever be seen to have positive influences on many people. Living your life with noble qualities, four men, your sons, thank-you for being the adults they are today. Dad, rest easy with the truth that we find it an honor to take your fatherly advice and encouraging personal values that we teach and pass on to our children (but it wouldn’t seem so the last 2 days). You were a father that was kind and generous. You loved all of us with such joy and pride that it lit up your face every time we were all together. You have much to be proud of. Our world will be much smaller from this day forward, but that is to be expected. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and more tender. We knew this day would come but did not truly realize the impact of our loss and how emotional it would be. There was never a time that we could not talk to you about anything (unless the Red Sox’s game was on or when you were on your way out to play cards, then it was “What’s the matter?” in a encouraging voice! ....then you would offer advice (asked for or not) just once and if our efforts were not fruitful….. “Well, you should have listen to me!” Some of you may have known my father the way that we did, but for those of you who did not get to see this side of him, you missed out on knowing a great man…our dad. A man that made sure his family was taken care of even if it meant he had to sacrifice something important to him. Knowing what the news of your passing would bring about and being more sensitive to the news of this because of the years missed while Danny and I were serving in the Navy, we were hoping to spend time talking about you and lavish the praises you deserve, but you all have your precious memories about our dad and we would just be stating the obvious. Today, is our chance in front of everyone to say thank you for your compassion and being a one of a kind example of a Husband, Father, Brother, brother-in-law, Uncle, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, and to 4 sons (with many great qualities) a mentor. You will always be in our hearts and mind. We truly appreciate your guidance and are saddened by what we are now without, and want you to know that life without you will be very difficult. Saying we love you, does not seem to be enough, as we have said these words of adoration frequently and more lately. Words we should have said and did not get a chance to say, are, we’ll miss you deeply……… Thank you for being the father………and friend any son is proud to call “dad”. Until we meet again. Save us a seat at the card table but please don’t lend or give Jay any money after he loses his money, because he then always manages to take our money. Rest in peace, Dad We will miss you JAMES MARCHESE By: Katie Marchese There is only so much you can say about a masterpiece. His work truly specks for himself. However, beneath every masterpiece is a canvas; the humble backbone to every great work of art. That’s what we saw. The grandchildren were blessed to see the humble man behind his work with one- of-a-kind traits and aspiring qualities. We saw a DEDICATED man. If we were seated at the dinner table and the clock struck 7:00, no sooner would we hear the scrape of a chair and see the back of our Grandfather running down the hallway saying he had to catch the ball game. We saw an ADVENTUROUS man, who taught us to drive stick-shift all the while catching a nap in the passenger seat. We saw a LEADER. Always seated at the head of the table, with his arms crossed and poised to listen. No matter what you said, you knew he wasn’t listening to respond, but to understand. That is a rare quality. We saw a VOCAL man. Whether it be Dino or Frankie, “Dominick the Italian Donkey”, “You Are My Sunshine, or “Happy Birthday” at 7:00 in the morning, nothing captured your attention as much as when he sang. We saw SIMPLICITY. There were really 2 loves in our Grandfather’s life: nature and family. If you gave him a babbling brook and a Mulberry Tree, I don’t think we would see him for a couple of hours. And family. You knew he loved his family because he was always there. I mean that. I’m not generalizing to prove a point. He was always there to be a man’s-man or a shoulder to cry on. We saw PERSERVERANCE. When he put his mind to something, no matter what, it seemed to us grandchildren that nothing could stop him. Even throughout all his frequent flyer miles to the hospital, he never lost his strength in character or his belief in himself to keep going. We saw GRATITUDE. Never did I see a man so at peace in his surroundings. No matter where, he seemed to always be at peace because he was truly grateful for everything around him. So, we can only return the sentiment. Grandpa, we’re so grateful to have known you. We’re thankful that God was gracious for keeping you in our lives as long as he did. We only hope to carry on your attributes and humble qualities throughout our lives and pass them on to our children and their children. But I want everyone to know that death ends a life, not a relationship. Forever and for always Grandpa. Amen.