Carmella Santilli
Retired Beautician
Carmella Santilli of Winthrop passed away at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on January 1. She was 85 years old. Born in East Boston, she was the beloved daughter of the late Rose (Coco) and Vincent Cali. A resident of Winthrop for over 50 years, she worked as a beautician prior to her retirement.
She was the devoted wife of the late Anthony Santilli and the loving mother of Anthony Santilli and his wife, Gina and Robert Santilli and his wife, Diana all of Winthrop; dear sister of Concetta Lauretano and her husband, Dante of Winthrop and Frank Cali and his late wife, Rosie of Malden; cherished grandmother of Robert, Jr., Stephanie, Justin and Tatiana.
Family and friends are cordially invited to attend the visitation from the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop on Friday, January 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. The funeral will be conducted from the funeral home on Saturday, January 6 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. John the Evangelist Church, 320 Winthrop St., Winthrop at 11:30 a.m. Services will conclude with the interment in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett.
Memorial donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research at www.michaeljfox.org.
For directions or to sign the online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.
William McGeorge
A Man of Character and Integrity
William J. McGeorge, a life-long resident of Winthrop, passed away on December 29 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston from the effects of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 84 years old.
“Bill,” as he was affectionately known to his friends, was truly one of the good guys. A man of character and integrity, he was so easy to get along with and had a kind and generous nature. He was a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps and his loyalty and allegiance to the Corps never faltered. Being a Marine was one of the highlights of his life.
He was the beloved son of the late Gladys and Thomas McGeorge and the caring cousin of Robert McGeorge of Winthrop, Eugene McGeorge of Lynnfield and Elizabeth Perkins of New Hampshire. He was the dear friend and companion of Phyllis Todisco of Winthrop.
Family and friends are cordially invited to attend the visitation from the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop today, Thursday, January 4 from 9 to 11 a.m. followed by a funeral service in the funeral home at 11 a.m. Services will conclude with the interment in the Cross Street section of Winthrop Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
For directions or to sign the online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.
Ronnie “Ron” Wilburn
Anesthesia Technician
Ronnie “Ron” Wilburn passed away December 29 after a short illness.
Ronnie was born February 8, 1959 at Boston City Hospital to the late Charles and Jimmy Clyde (Murray) Wilburn, the last of their four sons.
Ron attended Boston English High. While still in high school he worked as an attendant at Metropolitan State and then started his career as an anesthesia technician at Mass. Eye and Ear, BIDMC, and finally Shriners.?
He met his wife at one of his early jobs.?
At a party that year he demonstrated his love of babies by retrieving one from a back room, “Look what I found”! His wife-to-be hissed: “?
Put that back!!?
He did; it was fine. They married in 1988 and he was blessed with a baby of his own, Ron, Jr. the following year.
Ronnie was kind, curious, smart, funny, and outgoing, qualities that endeared him to a stunning number of others.?
It was impossible to go anywhere with him without some unknown person exclaiming, “Ron! What are you doing here?” It was like living with an underground celebrity, annoying but adorable. He was sweet, loving and infinitely patient. He drank and smoked too much, habits that took him away far too early.?
If everyone could emulate his good habits and avoid the bad ones theworld would be even more wonderful than it is.
Ronnie is survived by his wife of 35 years, Judith (Lefavour) Wilburn and son, Ron Wilburn Jr, as well as brothers Ullyses Wilburn and Floyd Wilburn. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Charles. He also leaves his sister-in-law, Diane Wilburn, niece, Lacasha Wilburn, her mother, Cheryl Wilburn, many cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and his bulldog, Rosie.
Visiting hours will be held in the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop, today, Thursday, January 4 from 4 to 8 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited. Funeral service and interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hale Barnard Services in Boston or to the charity of your choice. To sign Ronnie’s guestbook, please visit: ?www.mauricekirbyfh.com?.
Frances Daly
Retired Presser
Frances C. Daly of Winthrop passed away at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on December 31. She was 92 years old.
Born in Winthrop, the beloved daughter of the late Lucia (Antocci) and Pasquale Madona, she was a life-long resident of Winthrop and worked as a presser at Surf Cleaners prior to her retirement.
She was the devoted wife of the late Earl Daly and the loving mother of Roberta Daly and her husband, Richard Summers of Winthrop, Steven Daly and his wife, Janice of Georgetown, Paula Daly Ward and her husband, Darrin and Christine Daly and her companion, Kirk Fortuna, all of Winthrop; dear sister of the late Sam Facella, Rosemary Sibella, Paul Facella and Sara Sirois. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Family and friends are cordially invited to attend the visitation from the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop on Friday, January 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St. John the Evangelist Church, 320 Winthrop St., Winthrop at 11:30 a.m. Services will conclude with the interment in the Belle Isle section of Winthrop Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Home of Little Wanderers at www.thehome.org.
To sign the online guestbook, go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.
Richard Minichiello
Boston Public School Teacher and US Air Force Veteran of WWII
Richard R. Minichiello, 102, of Winthrop, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on December 29.
The third youngest of 10 siblings, Richard grew up in the West End of Boston where his family ran the Mass Spa general store for decades. A US Army Air Corps Veteran of World War II, Richard piloted flights over “the Hump” to bring supplies to American bases in China.
He played baseball near the Charles River with his younger brother Bob whom he admired and continued a close and protective relationship with up to Bob’s passing on December 25, 2023. As a salesman of scholastic materials for half a century, Richard shared a passion for art and education. He received his Master’s in Childhood Education in his 60s, which allowed him to substitute teach in the schools of Boston into his 90s.
Richard was predeceased by his beloved wife, Helen Tobin Minichiello, his daughter, Joanne Minichiello Darcy and namesake, Richard Minichiello II. He is survived by his son, Robert Minichiello and wife, Sari of Nova Scotia. Richard was a proud, interested, and supportive grandfather to his grandchildren: Richard III (and Tracy), Antoinette (and Todd), Thaddeus (and Kerri), Bryony (and Stephane), Jaime (and Devin), Alexa (and Brian), Nathaniel (and Kathryn) and great-grandchildren: Marcus, Moira, Joe and Ryder. Richard is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Richard was an eloquent philologist, avid card player and golfer and ran the New York Marathon at age 58. He swam in the “invigorating” waters off Point Shirley, Winthrop up to his 101st year. He enjoyed a cold Budweiser on ice in a wine glass when watching his favorite team, the Boston Red Sox. He will be missed by all who love him but will be remembered for living his life according to his favorite Cyrano quote “to sing, to laugh, to dream; to walk in my own way and be alone, free, with an eye to see things as they are.”
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 6 at 10 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 320 Winthrop St, Winthrop. Services will conclude with burial in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, West Roxbury. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard’s memory to All Care Hospice Grateful Patient and Family Program: https://allcare.org/grateful/
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.