Peter Kapura
Graduate of Winthrop High School, Class of 1969
Peter M. Kapura of Winthrop passed away at home on June 9. He was 70 years old. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, the beloved son of the late Maybelle (Hutchinson) and Fred Kapura, he was a resident of Winthrop since 1967 and a 1969 graduate of Winthrop High School. After graduation, he went on to attend Mass Maritime and continued his education at the Peterson School of Engineering. He worked for many years as a flooring specialist.
He was the devoted husband of Annaflora (Porpora) and the loving father of Kathryn Kapura of Winthrop, the dear brother of Gregory Kapura and his wife, Debra of Connecticut, Tayna Boucher and her husband, John and Eric Rapchuck and his companion Jeanine Cash, all of Winthrop. He was lovingly adopted and raised by Marilyn (Murphy) and Andrew Rapchuck of Winthrop and is also survived by five nephews, two nieces and many loving cousins.
Family and friends are cordially invited to attend the Funeral Mass in St. John the Evangelist Church, 320 Winthrop St., Winthrop on Friday, June 18 at 11:30 a.m. Committal will be private.
For directions or to sign the online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.
Arrangements under the direction of the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop.
Suzanne T. Tarmey
She Taught the Wisdom of Seeing the Best in People
Suzanne T. (McClory) Tarmey passed away on Saturday, June 12.
She was the daughter of the late Joseph P. McClory and Margaret (Gannon) McClory.
Suzie and her husband, Dennis Tarmey, shared 44 years of marriage, residing in Lynn, Stoneham and more recently in Winthrop. She was the proud mother of Brian Tarmey and his wife, Jamie Kebely of Hong Kong. She is also survived by her two sisters, Margaret (Margie) McClory-Bonefant (Robert) of Topsfield and Kathleen McClory (Bruce Gould) of Richmond, Virginia and her brother, Joseph McClory (Mary) of Newark, Delaware. She had many nieces and nephews who loved their dear “Auntie Suzie†and whom she adored.
Suzie attended St. Mary’s High School, Class of 1971 and North Shore Community College. She worked at several locations over the years including The State House Library, General Electric, Century House Restaurant and retired as the Senior Clerk at Melrose City Hall’s Assessor’s Office. In her 24 years of public service in Melrose, her lone scandal was being reprimanded for being too nice to and spending too much time with the elderly customers.
Suzie was the best of us. Her kind and caring nature was unmatched. She was always quick to engage and offer a loving, unassuming, and non-judgemental ear. If her attention ever did falter, it was likely only due to her eagerness to sing the praises of her loved ones, but she is truly the one who deserves the loving praise that she so kindly reserved for others.
Though she was prone to taking small liberties in playing up those she loved, she was always honest; in an infamous run in with the law she was quick to confess that “Yes officer, I had several glasses of cranberry juice†before she vowed to stop driving so slow.
She could always make you laugh and convince you that you deserved all the credit for being so funny; her compliments came almost as naturally as her infectious smile. She never missed an opportunity to connect with others, whether it was the condo community she dearly loved in her new home at Seal Harbor or a new friend on her many adventures between Europe, South America, Australia or Asia, where not even the lack of a shared language stopped her from connecting with others and bringing smiles.
While she was quick to make friends, she truly valued her many lifelong friends. She wasn’t just socially fearless, she quietly demonstrated courage as she overcame cancer, gunshot wounds and countless other challenges thrown her way.
She taught us the wisdom of seeing the best in people, being unconditionally accepting, and to always turn down an offer for a date with Ben Affleck (she told the story better than us).
Her family is heartbroken by her loss but is eternally grateful to have learned from the best on how to be strong and smile again; she would not have wanted it any other way.
The family will hold a private celebration of life at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, we know she would have loved it if you would do something nice for a loved one or a stranger or both, it would have put a big smile on her face, and we are still indebted for all the joy she brought to us.
She was the best mom a son could ever ask for and so much more to all those she touched.
Susan Burke Guenza
June 11, 1937 – February 28, 2021
Susan Burke Guenza, loving wife, mother, sister and friend, and long-time resident of San Rafael, California, passed away peacefully at the age of 83 in the presence of her family on February 28, 2021 after fighting hard for three weeks against multiple injuries endured from a fall at home.
She will be deeply. Missed by all who knew and loved her, and remembered fondly for her dry wit, fantastic sense of humor, friendly. Nature, keen intelligence, dedication to her family, incredible resilience and courage, and compassionate soul. She never expressed a word of discomfort or pain during her recent hospitalization, a final treatment to her inner strength and remarkable faith.
Her family will be forever grateful that the Lord granted Susan a serene transition from her physical challenges, welcoming her gracefully into his peaceful eternal paradise and the infinite love of la Virgen de. Guadalupe, to whom she was particiulary devoted.
Susan was born in Boston, MA on June 11, 1937 to Thomas Murray Burke and Marie Dolores Monahan Burke of Winthrop, MA. The fourth child of six, she grew up in a close-knit Irish Catholic family and enjoyed large family gatherings, swimming in the ocean, and ice skating in the backyard with her friends and siblings before graduating from Winthrop High School in 1954.
She graduated from the Catherine Laboure School of Nursing in Dorchester, MA after working as a student nurse in South Boston and Baltimore, M D, and thereafter finished first in the State of Massachusetts board exams to become a nurse anesthetist. In the early 1960s, she and two friends drove west to new horizons in California, where Susan flourished in her career as a nurse anesthetist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco’s Filmore District. She often recalled her diverse medical field colleagues from Kaiser with real fondness and made a habit of slipping into the. Baptist Church down the block on her breaks to be with the joyful gospel music and friendly congregation there.
In 1965 she married John P. (Jack) Guenza, Jr., a native of Santa Rosa, CA and a man she would refer to as “my boyfriend†for the rest of her life.
After the 1967 birth of their son, John, Susan and Jack moved to San Rafael, CA in 1968, here they welcomed their younger son, Michael, in 1970 and developed an extensive community of friends. Susan was an energetic and creative volunteer throughout her life as a young mother and as her sons grew up, supporting and enriching the community at large through her work for the Coleman School PTA, the Davidson Middle School PTA, the Festival of Trees, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Anne’s Home, and the San Rafael Public Library.
She gracefully shared her home and kitchen with many of their son’s friends and beloved neighborhood families with great joy and generosity over the years, and became well-known throughout the Black Canyon/Dominican region for her biscotti, minestrone soup, and homemade pesto (not bad for a woman 99.9% Irish!). Susan was always ready to lend a hand, spend some time, or provide a delicious meal to whomever needed help, and supported many local friends and families through difficult health crises and battles with terminal illness.
When making a new acquaintance, Susan had the unique ability to gently ask just enough questions to know that person’s life history in a very short time. Her amazing memory about her years in Winthrop, MA led to many long-distance discussions and much laughter with her sisters on the East Coast.
Later in life, at the age of 56, Susan decided to embark on a new road to personal recovery
And followed that path with humility and steady commitment for more than 27 years.
She developed a new, even wider circle of friends in that community and she was perpetually grateful for their kindness, camaraderie, and support. Susan battled and beat a terrifying diagnosis of lung cancer at the age of 68 and lived quite comfortably and remarkably for fifteen additional years after recovering from a full pneumonectomy at UCSF in in January 2006.
She and Jack enjoyed many memorable travels to Ireland, Mexico, Lake Tahoe, Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, Hawaii, Eastern Europe, South America, and Italy, where she formed a special bond with the extended Guenza family in Domodossola. Her warm, hospitable spirit, kind, joyous heart, and true loyalty to her family and friends will be remembered deeply as an inspiration and endless gift by all who knew her. Never at a loss for words, she now would remind us all to “Keep the sunny side up,†have no worries,†and encourage us to give faithful thanks for the mystery of life and beauty of nature with heartfelt “Amen, brother!â€
Susan was predeceased by her loving parents, T. Murray and Marie, and her dear sister Carol Purcell of McLean, VA. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jack, her sons. John (Emily) and Michael (Keyly) both of San Francisco, siblings Marie Howard (Webster) of Lagrangeville, NY, Joseph Burke of Pasadena, CA, Christine Faurot of Montclair, NJ, and Thomas M. Burke, Jr. (Madeline) of Swampscott, MA plus many devoted nieces and nephews. Her husband and sons remain most thankful for the expert medical care Susan received from the nursing team at Marin Health, and moreover for all the kindness, love and gentle help extended to them in this time of bereavement.
Susan will be laid to rest in Mendocino, CA, a place she loved dearly and visited often with Jack as the ancestral California home of the Guenza family. A larger life celebration of Susan and her loving, joyful so ul will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Anne’s Home in San Francisco, a historic organization providing care for the elderly needy in a spirit of humble service.
Edward “Eddie†Cardoza
Winner of Many Special Olympic Medals
Edward M. (Ned, Eddie) Cardoza of Winthrop passed suddenly on November 15, 2020 at Advocate Rehab, East Boston at the age of 69.
The son of the late Manuel and Anna (Riley) Cardoza, Ned was also the beloved
brother of Tom and Sandy Cardoza of Parrish, FL; Maureen and Bob Saffi and
Bobby and Alicia Cardoza of Waterbury, VT and the late Richard Cardoza and his
wife, Lorraine of N. Andover. He is also survived by many loving nieces and
cousins as well as the DDS/MRS family who cared for and about him for so many
years.
Ned went through the Winthrop public school system, special needs, graduating
with the class of 1970. He loved being on the high school cross-country and track
teams, excelling in longer-distance events. He would go on to win many Special
Olympic medals, including during the 1991 International Games in Minneapolis.
Visiting hours will be held in the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop
St., Winthrop, on Friday, June 25 from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Michael the Archangel Parish, (formerly St. John the Evangelist
Church), in Winthrop. Interment will be in Winthrop Cemetery. Contributions in
his name may be made to the Special Olympics or any other favorite charity.
“Eddie†(Ned) had many friends and touched many lives. We encourage you to
share your memories by visiting our website at
www.mauricekirbyfh.com     Â