Wellington Funeral Home

Raymond A."Ray" Petell, Sr., 94, passed away on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, after a short illness. Born in Lanesborough, MA on March 6, 1930, he was the son of Madaline Bradley Noble and Joseph Petell. Ray attended Lanesborough schools until the age of 16 when he quit school to support his mother and three younger siblings. Much of his upbringing was spent on the Bradley Farm in Lanesborough where he was doted on by his loving grandmother, Jenny Bradley. His first job was working for his great uncle "Clayt" on the farm, who was blind and taught him his work ethic for the sum of 10 cents per week. He later worked at the Esso station in Pittsfield and several construction companies. Ray enlisted...

Ms. Christine M. Bray, of Dalton, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 6, 2024, just months after celebrating her 54th birthday. Born in Pittsfield, MA, on February 14, 1970, the daughter of the late William and Barbara Ronco Daniels, she earned her GED and later attended classes at Berkshire Community College. Christine helped out at Craneville School as a Librarian Assistant. Prior, she dedicated 15 years of service at Walmart. Among many things, she enjoyed taking her children to powwows. She was always intrigued by Native American crafts, and even made her own dream-catchers as well as other items. Additionally, Christine loved all things nature. Christine is survived by her...

Ms. Leona Alice Butler, 80, formerly of Pittsfield, MA, passed away at Mount Carmel Care Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024, surrounded by family. Born in Pittsfield on September 22, 1943, daughter of the late Wellington and Leona (Briggs) Butler, she graduated from Pittsfield High School with the class of 1961. Leona worked on her family's dairy farm, Pulpit Rock Farm, her entire life. As she always would say, she "just loved being a farm girl." She loved her Jersey cows, the farm cats, and most of all her many dogs over the years including Towser, Bessie, Midgie, Lady, and Jessie. Leona was proud of showing her award-winning cows at numerous county fairs for 23 years. Leona was very...

Robert Dustin Barry, was born May 3,1949 in North Adams, MA to Bartholomew and Barbara Lane Barry. He graduated from East Longmeadow High School, then the University of Vermont, where he majored in political science and met the love of his life, Mary Theresa McLaughlin. While attending UVM, Bob "Raz" enlisted in the Vermont National Guard, serving 6 years as a medic. Bob and Mary couldn't wait to start a loving family of their own. They married in July of 1972 and soon after welcomed their first of five children, Colleen, into their family. They spent their first four years together in Burlington, Vermont welcoming their second child, Brennan. They moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts in...

Esther Elizabeth (Emerson) Boraski, longtime resident of Hinsdale, MA, passed away on March 13, 2024, after a brief period of declining health. She was born at home on October 25, 1923, and was the daughter of the late Charles and Caroline (Adams) Emerson. She spent her early years on the farm with her 10 siblings. Upon graduating Dalton High School, she attended cosmetology school and became a hairdresser. She later owned her own salon, The Hinsdale Beauty Salon. Esther married John Boraski in 1950 and they had two sons. John passed in 1968. She was dedicated to her family and 10 siblings, and enjoyed all the time they spent together, every year having a huge family reunion. Esther can...

Mr. David "Swatzie" Connor, 76, of Dalton, passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Born in Pittsfield, MA, on November 16, 1947, son of the late John and Claire Kelly Connor, he attended Dalton schools. David was a Vietnam War veteran. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1964. He proudly served his country until his honorable discharge in 1967, as a Specialist 5th Class. For the majority of his career, David was employed by Crane and Company, where he dedicated over 40 years until retiring. Among many things, he enjoyed being outdoors, especially when fishing. He always appreciated classic cars, playing pool, and spending time with his friends. Swatzie was a huge Boston...

Mrs. Gale Stanton Crane, 85, of Dalton, passed away on Sunday, February 25, 2024. Born in Scranton, PA on October 11, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Sterling and Adeline Ross Stanton. Gale was a 1956 graduate of Abington Heights High School and attended Syracuse University the following year. While there she met her future husband, Christopher Murray Crane. They were married in May of 1958 and settled down in his hometown of Dalton, MA. Gale and Chris soon had two sons, David and Douglas, and a few years later their daughter Allison arrived to keep them all in line. Gale was a devoted mother and wife, volunteering for school functions, watching sports, and always there to...

Mrs. Deborah L. (Goodrich) Lee, 75, of Hinsdale, passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, February 10, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. Debbie was born in Pittsfield, MA, on April 18, 1948, the daughter of the late Kinsley and Marjorie (Rudd) Goodrich and loving wife of William Lee. Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Mrs. Deborah L. Lee will be Monday, February 19, 2024, at 10am at the First Baptist Church in Pittsfield, where Debbie was a devoted member and Deacon. Calling hours will be Sunday, February 18, 2024, from 12noon to 2pm at the Dwyer-Wellington Funeral Home in Dalton, 525 Main Street, Dalton, MA 01226. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in...

Joseph J. Ferraro, Jr., passed away in the afternoon of Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at Baystate Medical Center after a brief hospitalization from a heart attack. Joseph was surrounded and comforted by family during the time of his passing; he was 82 years old. Joseph was born in Pittsfield, MA on July 3, 1941 to Clare (n?e Sheerin) and Joseph J. Ferraro, Sr. He was a 1959 graduate of Pittsfield High School and a 1969 graduate of UMass Amherst where he had earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Immediately following high school Joseph enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served honorably until 1963. Joseph had a penchant for working with and repairing electronics,...

Mr. Edward Earl Turner, of Dalton, passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, just two weeks before celebrating his 93rd birthday. Born in Pittsfield, MA, on February 19, 1931, he was the son of the late Edgar and Mildred Higgins Turner. He graduated from Dalton High School in 1949, and later from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts. He served our country in the Army Medical Corp from 1952-1954. For most of his career, Ed was employed by the Berkshire County Surveying Department. It was there he dedicated 23 1/2 years until his retirement in 1991. Ed was an active part of his community. He spent many years with the...

Mr. George White, 87, of Dalton, passed away peacefully with his wife at his side on Friday, January 19, 2024. Born in Dalton MA on March 22, 1936, the son of the late James White and Maude Kiligas White. He graduated from Dalton High School in 1956 and went on to attend the University of Massachusetts where he studied Landscaping Architecture after which he started his own company, Berkshire Landscaping. In 1962 he was appointed as Superintendent of the Dalton Cemeteries where he dedicated 42 years of service until retirement in June of 2002. He was instrumental in reorganizing the cemetery operations and office recording standardization. George was well known as "Mr. Dalton" and very...

Albert Dwight Knight, Jr. passed away on January 3, 2024, just two days after his wife of 32 years. He was 96 years old. Son of Albert Dwight Knight, Sr. and Dorothy Rich Knight, he grew up in the greater Hartford, CT area and lived most of his life in Canton, CT. He was involved with the Boy Scout organization for 25 years, in both West Hartford and Canton. He was a veteran of the US Merchant Marine, having served in the South Pacific and Europe during World War II. He was employed by G.F Business Equipment for 38 years in both administration and sales. On September 21, 1991, he married Jan Rich. He and Jan loved to travel and made many friends around the country. He was always...

Jan Knight passed away on Monday, January 1, 2024, just a month shy of celebrating her 96th birthday. Jan was born on February 10, 1928, in Holyoke, MA to Pearl Pollock Thomson Rich and Arthur Jesse Rich. Until February 1943 she lived in the Littleville section of Chester, MA on the middle branch of the Westfield River. In 1943 the government made her father get into war work; he closed his lumber mill and the family moved into her grandfather's home in Holyoke, MA. Jan graduated from Holyoke High, class of 1945, and Northampton Junior College. She married Alfred James Rettie (deceased) on November 18, 1950, at the Second Congregational Church of Holyoke, MA. She worked at Massachusetts...

Mrs. Christina T. Faye, 87, of Dalton, passed away on Friday, December 15, 2023. Born in Springfield, MA, Nov. 14, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Christina MacLeod Warnock Ahrens and the late William Lyman Ahrens. She attended the local schools and graduated from Springfield Technical High School. She received her baccalaureate degree in History and Education from U. Mass. Amherst in 1958. Mrs. Faye was employed by the Central Berkshire Regional School District as a reading specialist for 23 years, retiring from Becket School on Jan. 1, 1991. As a former member of Grace Episcopal Church, she served as a vestry person, and as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and Visitor; presently a...

Mr. Kenneth Warner, Jr., 91, of Pittsfield, passed away on Monday, December 11, 2023. Born in Northville, NY, on September 19, 1932, the son of the late Kenneth and Hilda Robinson Warner, he graduated from Northville High School. Kenneth was a Korean War Veteran. He proudly served his country in the United States Army actively from 1954 until 1956, and 1956 until 1962 in the reserves. Straight out of high school, Kenneth was employed by General Electric, where he worked as a tool and dye maker. After leaving the Army, Kenneth returned to General Electric where he retired as an ordnance engineer after 36 years of dedicated service. Among many things, he enjoyed spending the summer...

Rosemary (Losee) Flynn, 89, wife of the late Donald Patrick "Pat" Flynn, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2023. Rosemary was born on April 17, 1934, to John B. Losee and Rose E. (Keefe) Losee. She attended local schools and graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1953. Following high school, Rosemary enlisted in the United States Navy and served during the Korean Conflict as a disbursing clerk at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. While serving at the air station in Lakehurst, Rosemary met her future husband, Pat Flynn, who was also stationed there. She was a communicant of St. Mark Catholic Church in Pittsfield, where she was a valued member of the Ladies Guild....

Mr. Richard E. "Dick" Dunham, 90, of Dalton, passed away on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Born in Pittsfield, MA, on February 22, 1933, the son of the late Arlo and E. Elizabeth O'Brien Dunham, he graduated from Pittsfield High School with the class of 1951. Dick was the proud owner of Dick's Pools for 22 years. Prior to his small business ownership, Dick worked as a teacher at Taconic High School and at General Electric. Dick also proudly served 10 years in the Massachusetts National Guard. Among many things, he was an aviator and enjoyed gardening, golfing, working on home projects, and most of all, rooting for Boston sports teams. Dick was predeceased by his beloved wife of 43...

Gerald Barnard O'Connor, 94, died Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at Hillcrest Commons after months of declining health. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Claire (Warner) O'Connor; his sons Douglas (Nancy Fisher), Robert (Magalie Danier) and Rory; his daughter Sharon O'Connor (Tom Honigford); his grandchildren Robert, Christian (Sarah), Emma, and Cora. He is predeceased by his sister Elizabeth (Patrick) McGurk and his grandson Jean-Paul. Gerald (nicknamed Rory) was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 24, 1928 and was the son of G. Waldron O'Connor and Elizabeth Carroll O'Connor. His formal education began at St. Albans School in Washington, DC. He graduated in 1946 from Berkshire...

Mr. Robert "Bob" Jackson, of Dalton, passed away on Sunday, November 12, 2023, surrounded by his family. Born in Pittsfield, MA, on December 18, 1950, the son of the late Lester and Anna Drain Jackson, Bob was a 1968 graduate of Pittsfield High School. Shortly after high school, Bob joined the Air Force where he proudly served from 1973-1977 serving in Vietnam. For the majority of his working years, Bob was a heavy equipment operator for the Massachusetts Highway Dept. He went on to work for Oil Express, retiring in 2009 due to ill health. Bob loved all New England sports, the Red Sox and Patriots to name a few. He held a special place in his heart for the Boston Celtics. Bob recently...

Mr. Kurt W. Grunow, 57, of Pittsfield, passed away at his home on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, after a short battle with cancer. Born in Boston, MA, on March 2, 1966, the son of the late Bruce and Shirley Fentner Grunow, he graduated from Pittsfield High School and later earned his associate degree in engineering from the Franklin Institute of Boston. While Kurt held various jobs throughout his professional career, he was employed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, where he worked as a Civil Engineer for the last 18 years. Kurt was dedicated and worked 6 days before his death. He is leaving many DOT coworkers that turned into friends. For Kurt, there was nothing better...

Lynn A. Stedman, age 86, of Dalton, passed away in her sleep on October 28, 2023, after a long bout with lung cancer. She was born November 5, 1936, in Pittsfield and was one of 10 children of the late Marion (Sweener) and Harold L. Durkee. She was a resident of Peru for 44 years before moving to Dalton. Lynn is survived by her children, her best pal and favorite child Scott Stedman, Sherryl Stedman, Shane Stedman and wife Joellen, all of Dalton and Sandra Webb and husband Tom of Williamstown. She had seven grandchildren, Gary (Amanda), Meaghan, Justin, Joshua (Amber), Zachary (Carrie), Aaron (Lindsey) and Taylor (Allyson) and one great grandchild, Hunter. She also leaves her siblings...