Obituaries 09-01-2022

Conal Cormac Foley

Educator, Life Long Activist and Renaissance Man

Conal Cormac Foley of Winthrop, son of Daniel Foley and Elizabeth Verkampen, was born on March 12, 1927, and passed peacefully on August 27, 2022 with his loving and grateful family surrounding him. He was the last surviving sibling of ten, with seven brothers and two sisters:  David, Robert, Martha, Roger, Maura, Padraic, Donal, Mel and Evin. 

His childhood in Winthrop, aided and abetted by his at-home gang of siblings, was full of adventures usually reserved for storybooks. Seven of his siblings, including Conal, served in World War II.

After lying about his age and enlisting in WWII, he returned from the occupation of Austria (where he claimed that he spotted his future wife and the apple of his eye – who was about five years old at the time – while skiing down the Italian side of the Alps.) He spent his remaining youth traveling the continent and attending Catholic University in Washington DC with his brother, Mel, achieving a BS in Biology.  Among other adventures, his travels found him on a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico, riding as a cowboy on a farm in California, and, to his later regret, helping break ground for the soon-to-be Logan Airport. 

Conal’s career path ultimately landed him in the Boston Public Schools, teaching Biology at various schools including East Boston High, and finally, Boston Latin Academy.  He was a favorite teacher of many and thereby got out of many a speeding ticket on Bennington Street because he was recognized by former students who became policemen.

Conal was a life-long activist, educating us all on the perils of pollution of all kinds, extreme capitalism, and selfish waste.  He marched (with his wife and children) against nuclear power and helped found the Green Party in Massachusetts. He was an alternate delegate for McGovern in the 1972 Democratic Convention in Miami. His local environmental focus was Belle Isle Marsh between East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop.

He was also active with Veterans for Peace, marched to oppose segregation and in the very first Walk for Hunger and worked for many other justice and environmental movements.  He ran (and lost) for State Representative three times. He sued the Boston School Committee in 1966 because he refused to adhere to any political ideology, including taking the Anti-Communist and Loyalty oaths, which he called “unconstitutional and obnoxious.”  Conal never backed down from a political fight that he truly believed in, and was influenced mostly by Dorothy Day who started a newspaper called Catholic Worker to raise awareness of church teachings on social justice.

He was a dedicated and mischievous father, husband and uncle.  With the looks of James Garner and the humor of Walter Matthau, he loved games (playing backgammon and chess in tournaments), wordplay, jokes, tennis, music, and company in the house (as long as they didn’t overstay, in which case he would flick the lights to make his point). 

Conal and his wife, Luisa married in 1963 and raised their family of three daughters in the house where he grew up.  He was a Renaissance Man, cooking and cleaning along with his wife and daughters without a thought of gender roles.  He took in pets of all kinds, carrying baby chicks home on the subway from his incubation project in the classroom.  The sounds were confusing to his fellow travelers, but he never let on that they were coming from his own briefcase, looking around in confusion like everyone else. In addition to chickens, he brought home ferrets, rabbits, homing pigeons, an octopus (discovered in the refrigerator by his youngest daughter), a snake (pulled from his briefcase) and more at various times.

He loved to climb trees (to prune) and telephone poles (to set up osprey nests at Belle Isle Marsh), much to his wife’s horror.  Around town in Winthrop, Conal could be seen well into his eighties riding his bike to coffee in the Center. 

He was an avid reader (notably of Native American life, laws and culture), a prolific poet, a frequent letter-to-the-editor writer, birdwatcher and true nature lover, taking his family on extended camping trips each summer.

Conal is survived by his wife, Luisa Garberoglio (Bologna, Italy) and their daughters, Leonora, Daniela and Erica; his grandchildren, Cormac and Fiona MacPhail, Theo and Bitanya Shah, and Eloise Farnsworth; his sons-in-law, Christopher Farnsworth and Nikhil Shah, and numerous nieces and nephews. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.  As he would say, “Checkmate, my friends!”.

Visiting hours will be on Friday, September 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Kirby Funeral Home, 220 Winthrop St., Winthrop, with a private burial at Belle Isle Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, PO Box 575, East Boston, MA 02128, or the Natural Resources Defense Council. https://act.nrdc.org/donate/force-for-nature/ A Celebration of Life will be held later in the year.

Stanley Buonagurio

Proud US Navy Veteran of WWII and East Boston Community Volunteer

Stanley W. Buonagurio of East Boston and Point Shirley, Winthrop died on August 23 in his 100th year.

A proud World War II US Navy veteran, “Bonnie” worked as an electrician at the Boston Naval Shipyard and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.      

After his retirement, he volunteered his time at East Boston High School and the East Boston Community Development Commission.

The beloved husband of the late Edna F. (Laurano) Buonagurio with whom he shared 66 years of marriage, he was the loving father of Juliet Bettano and her late husband, Carl of Winthrop, Rita Cutroni and her husband, Paul of Waltham, Edna Howard and her husband, Paul of Stratham, NH and Stanley Buonagurio of East Boston and his significant companion, Heather Bolt of

Malden, the late Peter A. Buonagurio and the brother-in-law of Gloria Laurano of East Boston. He was the cherished grandfather of 20 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Funeral arrangements were by Vazza’s “Beechwood” Funeral Home, 262 Beech Street, Revere.  Burial with Military Honors was at Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to a charity of your choice.

For online guestbook please visit www.vazzafunerals.com.

Barry Brooks

Practiced Dentistry in Winthrop for More than 60 Years

We are sad to say that Barry M. Brooks died at his home on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 just shy of his 90th birthday with his beloved wife of almost 69 years, Eleanor by his side. Barry was born in Boston, son of Thomas and Rose Brooks and lived most of his life in the town of Winthrop. He graduated in 1947 from Winthrop High School at the age of 16. He then attended Harvard College in Cambridge and continued his education at Loyola Dental School in Chicago, graduating in 1957. Upon graduation from dental school, he enlisted in the Army Dental Corps for two years and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where he practiced dentistry for soldiers and their families. After serving, he and his wife returned to his hometown of Winthrop to raise their family. He opened Brooks Dental in 1959 and serviced patients of Winthrop and the surrounding communities for over 60 years. He was an avid collector, musician, music lover, skier, devoted Red Sox fan, and a longtime member of Temple Tifereth Israel of Winthrop and The Winthrop Rotary Club. Most importantly, he was a loving and kind family man, husband and father, grandfather and great grandfather. He leaves his beautiful wife, Eleanor, his sister, Margery Glovin and her husband,  Rob and six children: Richard Brooks and his wife, Amy of Canton, Lisa Giller and her husband, Steven of Peabody, Howard Brooks and his wife, Debra of Marblehead, Karen Chinitz and her husband, Michael of Newton, Daniel Brooks and his wife, Karen of Charlotte N.C, and Adam Brooks of Charlotte, N.C. He also leaves 16 grandchildren: Matthew Brooks, Alex Brooks, Lauren Anno and her husband, Devin, Joshua Giller, David Brooks and his husband, Thiago, Stephanie Brooks, Leah Brooks, Taylor Chinitz, Daniella Chinitz, Francesca Chinitz, Robert Brooks, Jonathan Brooks, Harrison Brooks, Kaylie Brooks, Talia Brooks, Eliana Brooks, and two great grandchildren: Avery and Lyla. Donations can be made to Care Dimensions, Danvers, MA

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