This summer marked the passing of two of our town’s most-beloved and esteemed citizens, George Bolster and John Biggio.
George Bolster was a familiar face to generations of Winthropites. He operated Bolster’s Shell for decades on the corner at the confluence of Revere and Shirley Sts., where he always was on hand in the garage working on cars.
George took care of his customers in a manner that simply doesn’t exist today, often allowing those who might be going through tough times to charge their gasoline “on account” until they could get back on their feet.
George was a master mechanic who was an expert in car repair — he helped us immeasurably through the years with our ‘66 Ford Mustang convertible — and truly was trusted by our entire community to fix their cars at a fair price.
But our most vivid memory of George is the many years that he led the annual Pt. Shirley Horribles Parade in his perfectly-restored 1920s Model T Ford convertible (which was among his collection of antique autos and motorcycles) in which he transported the Grand Marshal, Copley Griffiths.
John Biggio founded and operated an insurance agency, now operated by his children, that has served Winthrop residents for decades. Beyond helping us with our insurance needs, we always enjoyed running into John, who was one of the most positive people we’ve ever known — he always had great energy and a big smile.
John was a stalwart in our town for decades, serving as a Town Meeting member, where his common-sense approach always was a welcome addition to the topic at hand, and lending his expertise as a member of the Town Insurance Committee.
John’s beloved wife of almost 70 years, Mary, was a member of the Sun-Transcript family for many years as a part-time employee in our production department. John and Mary formed an inseparable duo whose love and devotion for each other was evident.
The passing of George Bolster and John Biggio marks the end of an era for many of us in our town. We know we join with all of our fellow residents in offering their families our condolences. May they rest in peace.