Obituaries 06-21-2012

Timothy Foley 

Painter, Driver for ‘The Ride’ and Former Employee of Suffolk Downs

Timothy M. Foley died unexpectedly at his Revere home on June 8. He was 52 years old.

Born in Winthrop, he was raised in Everett and Revere. He was a painter by trade and a member of the International Union of Paint and Allied Trades Local 35. He also worked as a driver for “The Ride” and as a custodian for Suffolk Downs.

He was the beloved husband of Elizabeth M. (Kozlowski) of Everett and the devoted son of Avery F. Foley of Coconut Creek, Florida and the late Helen L. (Laurenson) Foley; the dear brother of Patricia A. Lauren-Magrath of Revere, Kathleen Mack of Naples, Florida, John Foley and his wife, Eloise of Chelsea and the late Joyce A. Brandano and Daniel Foley. He is also lovingly survived by his companion, Kimberly Harol of Revere and his surrogate daughter, Stephanie A. Dillon and her husband, Michael of West Yarmouth and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Vertuccio & Smith Home for Funerals, Revere. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to your favorite charity.

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Patricia ‘Pat’ Brown 

Law Librarian, Professor and Among The First Women Inducted Into Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY 

Patricia I. “Pat” Brown of Winthrop died in Park Ridge, Illinois on June 17. She was 81 years old.

Born in Charlestown, the daughter of the late Harriet T. (Taylor) and Joseph R. Brown, Sr. she was a lifelong resident of Winthrop. She attended Winthrop High School from 1946 to

1948 where she excelled in basketball, field hockey and tennis. Under the direction of Miss Ellen Kiernan, the field hockey team played outside schools for the first time since before World War II.

Ms. Brown graduated Winthrop High School in 1948, played professional baseball from 1950 to1951, graduated with a B.A. from Suffolk University in 1955, a J.D. from Suffolk Law School 1965, And MBA from Suffolk School of Management and a M.T.S from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1977. She was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1965. She received her Librarian’s Certification in 1963 and her Law Librarian’s Certification in 1967. She had a long career as the Law Librarian and Professor at Suffolk University.

She is listed in Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in the East and Who’s Who in American Women. She played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League with the Kenosha Comets of Wisconsin, the Chicago Colleens and the Battlecreek Belles of Michigan.

Because of her strong arm, she was trained to be a pitcher. She toured the U.S. and Canada and at an exhibition game at Yankee Stadium she met Connie Mack, the Philadelphia Athletics and the Yankees.

On November 5, 1988, with her teammates, she was one of the first women inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. In 1990, she was presented an award “For Outstanding Services in Women’s Sports” at the State House. In September of 1990 she was honored by the Red Sox as an All American Girls Professional Baseball League Hall of Famer with a ceremony and threw out the first pitch at the Fenway Park game.

On February 12, 1990 she was honored for having stared the first women’s basketball team and women’s physical education program at Suffolk University at the dedication and first game in the new school gym. In August of 1992, with former teammates, she was invited to the special premiere of the movie “A League of Their Own.” Coincidentally, this movie was shown on the AMC television channel on the day of her death.

She spent over a year working with New England AAGPBL baseball players and the New England Sports Museum officials, gathering pictures, spikes, baseball gloves, a uniform, an original contract and other memorablia to be placed in a special All American Girls Professional League display at the New England Sports Museum at the Galleria in Cambridge, MA. The display was officially opened in 1993. In March of 1997 she was inducted into the First Annual Winthrop High School Hall of Fame.

She was a longtime member of the Winthrop Council on Aging, the SHINE Program (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders) counseling at the Winthrop Senior Center. She was a lifetime member of the former Union Congregational Church of Winthrop.

She is survived by her nephew, Alan J. Brown Jr., his wife, Marion of Glenview, IL and their three children, Taylor, Trevor Victoria; her sister in law Virginia Brown of Winthrop; nephew Michael Brown and his fiancée, Bethaney Nielsen of Arizona, Sandra Brown and her son, Jaidon of Winthrop; nieces Linda D’Addario of Winthrop and Diane D’Addario of New Jersey. She was the dear sister of the late Joseph R. Brown, Jr., Thomas K. Brown and Alan A. Brown Sr.

Visitation will be held in the Caggiano-O’Maley Funeral Home, 147 Winthrop St. Winthrop Thursday, June 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. Services will be held in the funeral home on Friday, June 29 at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Winthrop Cemetery. Memorial donations may be sent to the Winthrop Senior Center, 35 Harvard St., Winthrop, MA 02152. For online condolences go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.

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Dr. Robert Harney, Jr. 

Well Known and Respected Award Winning Sports Physician  

Dr. Robert A. Harney Jr., of Winthrop died peacefully on June 13 after a courageous battle with cancer.

A graduate of the University of Guadalajara and Boston University Schools of Medicine, Dr. Harney was a well respected orthopedic surgeon in the Boston area for more than 25 years.  He was a longtime partner of North Suburban Orthopedic Associates, member of the Hallmark Health medical staff and team physician for Winthrop High School, Melrose High School and the former Savio Prep High School.

Dr. Harney was past president of the American Academy of Sports Physicians, a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Massachusetts Orthopedic Association. He was an independent physician for the NFL players association.

Through his years as a private physician, patients found confidence and trust in his friendly and calm demeanor; colleagues found his commitments to patient care unwavering and his ability to teach, mentor and lead unsurpassed. As a result he was recognized as a 2010 Hallmark Health Hero. “Dr. Bob” as he was so passionately known, was a tireless leader and innovator in Paralympic sports at the local, national and international levels.

His career has been dedicated to the education and welfare of able-bodied, physically challenged and intellectually challenged athletes. Dr. Bob Harney was a founder and past president of New England Disabled Sports. His dedication and compassion for the development of adaptive recreation was recognized in the naming of the Dr. Bob Harney Adaptive Sports Center at Loon Mountain.

He was the 2008 recipient of the Jim Winthers award, a 2010 nominee for the George Steinbrenner award and was inducted into the National Disabled Ski Hall of Fame in 2011. He was the national vice president of Disabled Sports USA, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He was also a medical technical consultant for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for pro-cycling, para-cycling, and the Tour de France. He was internationally recognized in Paralympic Sports and he was instrumental in developing disability classifications for the Paralympic Games. He was named to the International Olympic/Paralympic medical technical teams in Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, Beijing, and Vancouver.

Dr. Harney was inducted into the Winthrop High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

Dr. Harney’s commitment to family and community was unsurpassed. His community volunteering included: Physical Fitness Consultant for the Miss Massachusetts/Miss America Organization, New England Regional Spinal Cord Center, Professional Ski Instructors of America and Member of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Advisory Committee for Head Injury and Concussions. He was also a member of the Cottage Park Yacht Club.

Dr. Harney is survived by his wife Andrea A. (Arcadipane) Harney, his daughters Jessica D. (Harney) Griffin and her husband, Michael of Charlestown and Kimberly M. Harney of Winthrop and his adored grandson, Andrew Robert Griffin. He was the dear brother of Dale Keating and her husband, John of Linwood, NJ, Paul Harney and his wife, Kathleen of Wakefield, and Peter Harney and his wife, Mary of Natick and is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass to celebrate Dr. Harney’s life will be held on Friday, June 22 at 4 p.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 320 Winthrop St. Winthrop. Relatives and friends are invited. There are no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Dr. Bob Harney Sports Foundation, P.O Box 520324, Winthrop, Ma 02152. Funeral arrangements are by the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop. For more information, go to www.mauricekirbyfh.com

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Molly Silverstein 

Member of Hadassah and Temple Tifereth Israel 

Molly Silverstein of Winthrop died on June 16. She was 95 years old.

She was born in Brooklyn, NY, raised in Connecticut and was a resident of Winthrop for 53 years. She was a customer service agent for the Sears and Roebuck Company and a member of Temple Tifereth Israel of Winthrop and Hadassah.

The beloved wife of the late Abraham H. Silverstein, she was the devoted mother of Ina Silverstein and Edward Silverstein and his wife, Linda; the loving daughter of the late Joseph Greenberg and the late Lena Greenberg;  the dear sister of the late Jack Greenberg and the late Goldie Schepart and the loving grandmother of Scott and Andrew.

Graveside services were held at the Sudilkov Cemetery, Everett. Memorial donations may be made to a charity on one’s choosing. For online guestbook, please visit the funeral home website, www.torffuneralservice.com. Arrangements were entrusted to the Torf Funeral Chapel, Chelsea.

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Rosemarie DeSisto 

Sylvania Retiree 

Rosemarie (Diorio) DeSisto of Winthrop, formerly of Everett and East Boston, died at her late residence on June 14. She was 91 years old.

Born in Boston, the daughter of the late Domenica (Volta) & Giuseppe Diorio, she worked as an assembler for Sylvania prior to her retirement.

She was the wife of the late Generoso DeSisto, the step mother of Joseph DeSisto of England and Anna Novack of Lowell, sister of Ruth Vosolo of Winthrop, Dorothy Papa of East Boston, William Diorio of Florida and the late Joseph Diorio, Anthony Diorio, Angelo Diorio and Mary Tirone and the longtime companion of the late Frank Papa. She is also survived by nieces and nephews.

The family received relatives and friends at the Ernest P. Caggiano & Son – O’Maley Funeral Home, Winthrop. Services and entombment followed in the Versailles Mausoleum, Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. Memorial donations may be sent to the Dr. Matthew S. Schwartz Hospice, 285 Commandants Way, Chelsea, MA 02150. For online guest book go towww.caggianofuneralhome.com

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Pasquale ‘Pat’ DeGregorio 

Retired Thoroughbred Horse Owner and Trainer

Pasquale “Pat” DeGregorio of Winthrop died June 18 at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 91 years old.

Born in East Boston, he lived in Winthrop his entire life. He was a graduate of the Winthrop School System, was a thoroughbred horse owner and trainer and a combat veteran of the US Army Air Force who served in the Pacific Theater. He was also a Life Member of Winthrop Lodge of Elks.

He was the loving son of the late Concetta (Buonopane) and Michael DeGregorio and the beloved husband of Geraldine (Gambale); devoted father of Michael DeGregorio, Richard DeGregorio and Patrick DeGregorio, all of Winthrop and former father-in-law of Jane DeGrregorio, Claudia DeGregorio and Laura McLaine; dear brother of Robert DeGregorio of Winthrop, Richard DeGregorio of Saugus, Rosemary French of Winthrop and the late Michael DeGregorio and the loving grandfather of Leah, Larissa, Susan and Briana.

His Funeral will be held from the Ernest P. Caggiano & Son – O’Maley Funeral Home, 147 Winthrop St., Winthrop on Friday at 9 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. John the Evangelist Church at 10 a.m. Burial will be in the Belle Isle Section of Winthrop Cemetery. Visiting hours are today, Thursday, from 4 to 8 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited. For directions and online condolences go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com