Joanne Kathleen Garlock
Lived life with such passion and zest with dedication to integrity, honor and authenticity
Joanne Kathleen (Pimentel) Garlock of Bluffton, South Carolina, died suddenly on Thursday, Oct. 31. She was 62 years old. The loving wife for 32 years of the late Paul Douglas Garlock, firefighter and United States Air Force veteran, she was also predeceased by her father, Leon L. Pimentel, and her brother, John E. Pimentel.
Joanne is survived by her devoted mother, Eleanor K. (Blades) Swierk and her stepfather, Edward J. Swierk; her brothers Mark T. Pimentel and William M. Pimentel and his partner, Michael J. O’Rourke; her sisters Virginia M. (Pimentel) Flockton and her husband, Ronald T. Flockton Jr., and Barbara E. Pimentel and her fiancé, John A. Teixeira.
She also leaves her nieces Lauren A. Robillard and her husband, Daniel R. Robillard and Hannah A. Pimentel; her nephew, Daniel J. Flockton and his partner, Margaret (Meg) Keefe and an uncle, aunts, cousins and beloved friends, especially Robin S. Durfee, Joanne E. Hammer and Crystal Murphy.
Joanne was a 1975 graduate of Winthrop High School and attended the Community College of the Air Force and Boston State College. She took great pride in her 20-year service to our country in the United States Air Force, from 1976 until 1997 where she served as a logistics war planner during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. She attained the rank of master sergeant and retired to Bluffton, S.C., then worked as a bookseller for Barnes & Noble on Hilton Head Island, S.C. and volunteered for Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, S.C..
Joanne traveled extensively during her Air Force career and was stationed all over the United States, Western Europe, and even Asia. Early in her service, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, she met her husband, Paul, of Buffalo, N.Y., also an airman at Eglin. They were married in August 1983 and spent the next 32 years as soulmates and fellow adventurers throughout the world. Joanne especially loved England, where she was stationed at RAF Alconbury. She was able to take trips to countries all over Europe from that perch in the UK to Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, among others. Her house, filled with beautiful mementos and photo albums, is a testament to those magical times and the people Joanne and Paul met along the way.
Joanne famously loved “summer, sunshine and beachesâ€; the exuberant colors of fall; the flowers of springtime; really all of the seasons of her beloved New England and her hometown of Winthrop, which she ached for when she was far away. Once, when her niece Lauren’s birthday plans were adversely affected by snow, she remarked, “I’m so sorry to hear that, but I’d be dancing in it if I could be with you guys!†Joanne also read voraciously and loved her music, eclectic as it was, from Simon and Garfunkel to Ed Sheeran.
This roster of life experiences would not be complete without underscoring the immense challenges of living with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. But Joanne was never defined by that condition; indeed, she rode the waves of that illness with strength, courage, and poise. She wove a beautiful dream with Paul in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, living in Bluffton, the next town over from our mom in Hilton Head. And then she took care of her beloved Paul after a massive stroke in September 2007, nursing him back to good health over many years, and being sole caregiver and nothing less than a superwoman after a pharyngeal cancer diagnosis that ultimately and tragically took her dearly loved Paul from her in May 2015.
We applaud a life lived with such passion and zest, and dedication to integrity, honor and authenticity. We are deeply honored to bring our precious sister back home to Winthrop, with full military honors, and celebrate her life by raising her up on our shoulders and singing her song so the whole world can sing along.
Joanne now joins her soulmate, Paul; her Dad; her big brother, John; and all of her beloved grandparents who have gone home to God before her. We love you, Joanne, and as you said in May, “We have had many trials and tribulations through the years, as we all do, but I am glad to say, because of our unique experiences with both joy and sorrow, we have been blessed with compassion. We all appreciate and have a passion for life. We each have gifts and strengths we can call on in times of need. We have learned, through the years, to be able to lean on each other and are blessed to have numerous supportive friends and extended family. Not a day goes by, when I don’t think of how blessed and grateful I am to be part of the Pimentel family.â€
“Happiness is not what makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy,†said Brother David Steinem-Rast.
Visitation will be at the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop, on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. followed by a Funeral Service in the funeral home beginning at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited. Interment will follow in Winthrop Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Rogue Rescue and Sanctuary, PO Box 1643, Bluffton, SC, 29910, www.roguerescue.org 843-816-0097, or your favorite animal shelter. For guestbook, please visit our website at www.mauricekirbyfh.com.
Gilda Greselin
Former Winthrop resident
Gilda T. Greselin of Westborough, formerly of Winthrop, passed away at home on Dec. 5. She was 95 years old. Born in Boston, the beloved daughter of the late Rose (Christaro) and Louis Guarino, she was the devoted wife of the late Aurelio Greselin and the loving mother of Sandra Smith of Boston and Lydia Laskow of Westborough, dear sister of the late Henry Guarino, cherished grandmother of Alexandra, Matthew and Vanessa and great grandmother of Davison, Clara, Cooper, Mackenzie and Grayson.
A graveside service was held in the Cross Street section of Winthrop Cemetery on Monday, Dec. 9.
Memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Caggiano-O’Maley-Frazier Funeral Home, Winthrop.
To sign the online guestbook go to www.caggianofuneralhome.com.
Rose Marie Chioccola
Admired for her strength and fierce independence
Rose Marie Chioccola of Stoneham passed peacefully on Dec. 2.
Rose was a cherished daughter of the late Mary (Grasso) and Gaetano “Guy†Chioccola of Winthrop, dear sister of the late Josephine “Chickie†Smith and her husband, Donald, of Woburn, and the late Michael A. Chioccola and his wife, Dorothy, now of Barnstead, NH; the beloved aunt of Sheryle Morgan and her husband, Richard of Revere, Dawn Turgiss and her husband, Charles of Saugus, Lee-Ann Simpson and her husband, Joseph of Revere, and Scott and Guy Chioccola of New Hampshire. Rose is also survived by many loving great-nieces and nephews who know her as “Auntie Ro.â€
Rose is admired for her strength while enduring many health challenges throughout her life, and especially her fierce, unremitting independence. She is known for her sincere desire to give to others and she loved spending time with her family.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to a Funeral Prayer Service which will be held at the Fowle – Gage Memorial Chapel in Woodbrook Cemetery, 100 Salem St., Woburn today, Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow. Arrangements are under the direction of Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, 263 Main Street, Woburn, MA 01801. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation and Perkins School for the Blind.
Bonnie Bolster
Of Winthrop
Bonnie L. (Crouch) Bolster of Winthrop, passed away on Dec. 4. She was 76 years old.
Born in Oskaloosa, KS, she was the cherished daughter of the late Robert A. and Alma L. (Ferris) Crouch.
Bonnie leaves behind her devoted children David A. Bolster and Bruce R. Bolster and his wife, Linda and her longtime beloved companion, George Bolster, all of Winthrop. She was the adored grandmother of Christina M. Schlageter and her husband, Alex and Laura J. Bolster and the loving great-grandmother of Finnegan A. Schlageter. Bonnie was the dear sister of Loren Crouch and the late Don Crouch.
Visiting hours will be held in the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St. Winthrop on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 1 to 5 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. For guestbook, please visit: www.mauricekirbyfh.com.
Lola Mayo
Of Winthrop, formerly of East Boston
Lola (Giannoccaro) Mayo of Winthrop, formerly of East Boston, died at home on Dec. 3 at the age of 96.
Lola was born and raised in East Boston, graduated East Boston High School class of 1941 and moved to Winthrop in 1975.
Born on April 27, 1923 to the late Vito and Almina (Dei Rocini) Giannccaro, who emigrated from Italy, she was the beloved wife of 68 years to the late Raymond, devoted mother of Deborah Mayo and Bradley Mayo and his wife, Linda, all of Winthrop; dear sister of the late Gloria Manning, Romeo Giannoccaro, Lillian Danna, Antonio Giannoccaro, Florence Giannoccaro, Josephine Ryder, Anna Graves, and John Giannoccaro. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements were by the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, Revere. Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery. Donations may be made in Lola’s memory to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38105. For guest book please visit www.Buonfiglio.com.
Joseph Frangello
Of Revere, formerly of East Boston
Joseph Frangello of Revere, formerly of East Boston, passed away suddenly on Dec. 6 at the age of 62.
Joe was born in Boston on July 5, 1957 to the late Joseph Frangello and Susan (Alfieri), he was the beloved nephew of Diana Annunziata and her husband, Frank and Lorna Williams, all of Revere, Lois Venezia of Winthrop and the late Emmanuella Rodriguez. He is also survived by many loving cousins and friends.
A visitation will be held at the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere St, Revere on Thursday, Dec. 12 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. For guest book please visit www.Buonfiglio.com