Obituary of Beatrice Reece

Please note our On-Line Guestbook is currently not working Beatrice “Bea” D. (Rodgers) Reece, a woman who gave of herself to her family and faith, passed away after a extended illness at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center on Thursday, October 9, 2014. Bea was the beloved and devoted wife of the late Donald L. Reece, who passed away in February of 2013. She would have celebrated her 85th birthday later this month. Bea was born in Cambridge. She was one of four children born to the late Manuel and Olive Rodgers. Growing up her home was filled with Portuguese traditions, food, and culture. She was very proud of her heritage and shared those values with her sons and grandchildren. She was raised and educated in Somerville and Cambridge and was a graduate of Cambridge Latin High School. She worked as an administrative assistant for the Chief Engineer of Northeast Airlines. She worked for 10 years at the Airlines and at the birth of her first child she chose to be a stay at home Mom. Bea and Don settled in the Winnmere section of Burlington in 1956 where they would raise their two sons. You would always see Bea and Don together whether it was attending Mass at St. Margaret’s, attending a Knights of Columbus social gathering or attending a sporting event for their sons and in later years grandchildren. Family was the center of Bea’s life. Bea was always there with a camera in hand ready to capture a special family moment, celebration, or event. Bea was very supportive of her Don’s involvement in the Burlington Knights of Columbus which became a very important role in both of their lives. She enjoyed a good game of bingo with her great many friends all around the Burlington area. Bea always loved to test her luck at Caesar’s Palace in Atlantic City and Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut. She had a wonderful neighborhood with wonderful and caring friends. She was a special woman who had lived for the past 12 years with the thought that each day could her last and she made most of those years shared with her family and friends. Bea was the loving wife of 56 years of the late Donald L. Reece. She was the caring and loving mother of Alan & his wife Charlene (Guzzo-Taylor) of Billerica and Brian & his wife Suzanne (Courtney) of Lowell. She was the sister of Richard Rodgers of Billerica & his fiancée Nancy Corso, Michael Rodgers & his wife Cloretta of Sandwich and the late Manuel Rodgers, Jr. & his wife Arlene Rodgers. She was the proud grandmother of Alan Jr. & Christina Reece of Dracut, Crystal Reece of Tewksbury, Adam Reece of Lowell, Nicole Mendez & her husband Raul of Leominster and Jonathan Taylor of Billerica. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Monday, Oct. 13 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 Sunday 2-5 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Bea’s name may be made to the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, 17 Court St., Boston, MA 02108. www.nechv.org Eulogy for Grammy By Adam Reece Good morning and thank you all for coming to honor the life of my Grandmother…or as Alan Jr., Crystal, Christina and I would call her…Grammy. My Grandmother was born in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1929, which was the beginning of the Great Depression. She was of Portuguese descent and had three brothers, Michael, Manny and Richard that she idolized and helped raise since my Grandmother was the first born. Her parents, Manny and Olive were first generation Americans who truly realized the American Dream. My Great Grandfather Manny worked in the ship yard as a metal expert, rehabbing war ships and my Great Grandmother Olive worked in a shoe factory cobbling shoes. Through those efforts they were able to purchase their first home in Somerville Massachusetts which they were very proud of. My Grammy attended Cambridge High and Latin where she met her lifelong Friend, Esther. They have been true friends for over 70 years. In fact they have talked daily on the phone, since high school. Not many people can say that. My cousins and I have known her as Aunt Esther and have also valued our relationship through the years with such a wonderful friend to our beloved Grammy. She enjoyed a very close relationship with her cousins Johnny, Morris, Cookie, Annabeth, Gabe , John and Joyce. Later in life, my Grandmother traveled to the Azores with Joyce and got to see the birthplace of her Grandparents. This was truly her greatest adventure. Something I hope to one day do since I too am proud of my Portuguese Descent. After High School, My Grandmother applied for a Job at Northeast Airlines. During the interview process, the person conducting the interview came out and simply asked her where she attended college. My Grandmother replied that she had not attended college. The interviewer was surprised since Grammy scored higher on the placement test than all the other applicants with college degrees (I wish I could have seen the big, beautiful smile on her face as she replied). She would always reminisce and was extremely proud of this achievement in her life. She became the Administrative Assistant to the Chief Engineer of Northeast Airlines. In 1953, when Grammy was just 24 years old, she met my Grandfather for the first time. They met at a Dance Hall named Mosley’s. My Grandfather was shipping out to Korea the very next day and this was the last time they would see each other until he returned from the war. My Grandmother’s bright red lipstick may have sealed the deal. That night, my Grandmother went home and told her Father that she met the man she would one day marry. Fast Forward five years and my Grandparents were married. They moved into their home in Burlington Massachusetts in 1958 and became parishioners of Saint Margret’s Church where they have lived ever since. My Grandmother’s faith has always been strong. She has been a member of this Church for more than 56 years. As my Grandparents love grew stronger day by day, they were later blessed with two children Alan and Brian. My grandmother loved being a parent more than anything else in life. She became a stay at home Mom and later helped raise my cousin Alan Jr, Crystal and myself. There was nothing my grandmother wouldn’t do for her family. Anyone who knew my Grandparents knew they were inseparable. Some of my favorite memories of my grandmother were in my younger years. To this day, I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table in Burlington with the toy crystal blocks Grammy and Grampy bought us as kids. I would sit there for hours and play as Grammy watched over my cousins and I. I will also never forget the day when Grammy and Grampy took me to see the new cool, hip, movie called Star wars, just released in theatre. I can see it now, Grammy to the left, myself in the middle and a snoring Grampy Don on the other side. All Grammy could do was laugh as my Grampy awakened with that distinct warm laugh that put a smile on anyone’s face. There were many nights that I would sleep over my Grandmother’s house. I can tell you that there was never much sleeping going on as my Grammy was the definition of a night owl. My bed time was never a factor as we watched countless hours deep into the night of her favorite Soap Opera, The Young and the Restless, or my favorites, Nick at night, Laverne and Shirley and Happy Days. Since my Grandfathers passing a year and a half ago, there were two people who truly took care of my grandmother. The first is my cousin Crystal who would show up every weekend ready to spend the night and take Grammy shopping or to the bank. Grammy looked forward to this time with Crystal more than anything. She considered her to be her Angel. The second person was her neighbor and very good friend Lois Jay…. Louis truly helped fill the void left by my grandfathers passing. They went everywhere together. Bingo, Foxwoods, Doctors appointments…. Whatever Grammy needed or wanted to do, Lois was by her side. Our family will be eternally grateful for her Kindness and friendship. The last week of my grandmother’s life was truly a blessing. As my Dad, Sue, Uncle Alan and Charlene worked to keep my grandmother comfortable around the clock; many relatives and friends would stop by to share funny stories and precious moments. Her friend Helen “spilled the beans” on many of their Atlantic City Adventures. This boosted my grandmother’s spirits. It amazed me to see how strong her faith was. I don’t think that I will ever forget this precious time that we all spent together. As many of you know my grandmother was never without a camera. From this day forward I will always smile just a little brighter as I remember her. No picture could ever do justice to those memories that I will cherish forever. Grammy I will miss you all of the days of my life. I love you.