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Obituaries
Mass Rocker Dies Suddenly; Band, Friends Rally To Raise Thousands Mass Rocker Dies Suddenly; Band, Friends Rally To Raise Thousands
Mass Rocker Dies Suddenly; Band, Friends Rally To Raise Thousands The Massachusetts music community is mourning the sudden loss of a 28-year-old rising musician and mentor whose impact reached far beyond his hometown.  Owen P. Leahy, of Reading, died on Jan. 6, according to an online obituary. A graduate of Northshore Recovery High School, he was a carpenter by trade, a photographer by passion, and a musician as the co-founder and bass player of the DIY emo band This Is Pointless. Leahy’s decade-long sobriety was a cornerstone of his life, and he was deeply involved in the recovery community as a mentor and advocate. Described as having a contagious …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Police ID Central Mass Teen Killed In Crash Near Market Basket Store Police ID Central Mass Teen Killed In Crash Near Market Basket Store
Police ID Central Mass Teen Killed In Crash Near Market Basket Store The 13-year-old Massachusetts boy who was hit and killed by a truck near a Market Basket in Worcester County has been identified.  Ezra Millard, of Leominster, was hit near the Sack Boulevard store in Leominster just after 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6, the Worcester District Attorney's Office said.  Ezra was a student at Skyview Middle School. The driver of the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado stayed on the scene following the crash and was cooperating with investigators, authorities said. The truck is registered in Maine.  Ezra's father, John Millard, posted shortly after their death …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Mass Firefighter, Father Of 2, Dies After Suffering Heart Attack While Responding To Call Mass Firefighter, Father Of 2, Dies After Suffering Heart Attack While Responding To Call
Mass Firefighter, Father Of 2, Dies After Suffering Heart Attack While Responding To Call The Brockton Fire Department has lost one of its own.  Firefighter Jeffrey Albanese, a 24-year veteran with the department, husband, and father of two died on Saturday, Dec. 21, authorities said on Sunday.  Albanese suffered a heart attack while responding to a call on Dec. 9. Fellow firefighters resuscitated him and rushed him to Signature Brockton Hospital. He was later transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston, where he died over the weekend.  Outpouring of grief as Brockton Firefighter Jeffrey Albanese is brought home. Posted by Marc Vasconcellos …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
'Our Village Is Broken': MA Remembers Dad Killed In Snowmobile Crash 'Our Village Is Broken': MA Remembers Dad Killed In Snowmobile Crash
'Our Village Is Broken': MA Remembers Dad Killed In Snowmobile Crash A 37-year-old father of daughters is being remembered as a devoted, hard-working man who touched the lives of everyone he knew following his death earlier this week. Derek Graves, of Chesterfield, died in a snowmobile crash around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office. An avid snowmobiler, Graves, who also has ties to Northampton, crashed near Smith Road in Chesterfield. Emergency responders performed CPR at the scene, and paramedics rushed him to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, where he later died, the DA's office said. Tributes have …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Western Mass Snowmobiler Killed After Crashing Into Tree Western Mass Snowmobiler Killed After Crashing Into Tree
Western Mass Snowmobiler Killed After Crashing Into Tree A 37-year-old Massachusetts man was killed after crashing his snowmobile into a tree over the weekend in Hampshire County, authorities said.  Derek Graves, of Chesterfield, was riding a snowmobile around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, when he crashed into the tree, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  A friend riding behind him pulled up to find the wreckage near Smith Road and called for help.  Responders performed CPR as they rushed him to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, where he later died, the DA's office said.  Massachusetts State Poli…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Beloved Teacher, Springfield College Alum Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students Beloved Teacher, Springfield College Alum Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students
Beloved Teacher, Springfield College Alum Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students A beloved teacher who was a fixture at a Northern Westchester high school for decades is being remembered for her contagious positive energy and her tremendous impact on her students throughout her long career.   Elizabeth “Betsy” Groat of Ho-Ho-Kus in Bergen County died on Wednesday, Oct. 30 after a battle with cancer, according to her obituary.   Groat, who taught physical education and coached at Westlake High School in Thornwood, dedicated 38 years to inspiring and supporting student-athletes in the Mount Pleasant School District, according to a GoFundMe page created in her honor that i…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Western Mass. Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck Western Mass. Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck
Western Mass. Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck Authorities have identified a 74-year-old Massachusetts woman killed in a head-on collision earlier this week in Hampshire County, authorities said.  Cynthia Jensen, of Becket in Berkshire County, was killed just after 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, in the town of Huntington, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  Jensen, who was in a compact car, collided with a cement truck driven by a 59-year-old Huntington Man on Pond Brook Road near Old Town Road.  Paramedics rushed Jensen to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and later to Baystate Medi…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Gold Star Father ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Crash Gold Star Father ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Crash
Gold Star Father ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Crash The Massachusetts father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan died earlier this week after being hit by a car while on his way to deliver an award in his son's honor, his family said. Michael Demarsico, 63, of North Adams in Berkshire County, was crossing Route 8 to go to the Bounti-Fare restaurant in Adams on Sunday, Nov. 17, just after 5 p.m. when a car struck him, authorities said. Demarsico was pronounced dead in the back of an ambulance en route to Berkshire Medical Center, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. The driver of the car that hit Demarsico remained at the sce…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
'He Lit Up Every Room': 23-Year-Old ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Rollover Crash 'He Lit Up Every Room': 23-Year-Old ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Rollover Crash
'He Lit Up Every Room': 23-Year-Old ID'd As Victim In Fatal Western Mass Rollover Crash A 23-year-old Massachusetts man was identified as the victim of a single-vehicle crash in Berkshire County over the weekend, authorities announced.  Caleb Carlson, of South Lee, was killed on Saturday, Nov. 2, when he rolled his Volkswagon Jetta on Division Street in Great Barrington around 6 p.m., the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. He died at the scene.  Investigators believe that Carlson was speeding when he went off the side of the road, struck a tree, and went airborne, causing the car to roll over.  The Smile Like Jack Memorial Fund posted a memorial …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Memorial Planned For Beloved Real Estate Developer, Williams College Grad After Sudden Death Memorial Planned For Beloved Real Estate Developer, Williams College Grad After Sudden Death
Memorial Planned For Beloved Real Estate Developer, Williams College Grad After Sudden Death Friends and loved ones will soon gather to remember the legacy of a prolific New York real estate developer and Williams College graduate who spent years redeveloping industrial properties and transforming communities in the process. A memorial is set to be held on Saturday, Nov. 9 to celebrate the memory of Joseph Cotter, a resident of the Northern Westchester County hamlet of Purdys in North Salem, who died on Monday, Oct. 25 at the age of 66 following a heart attack. The service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Robert Halmi Sr. Academy of Film and Television, located at 463 Hawth…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Semi-Pro Football Player Killed In Rollover Crash On I-91 Semi-Pro Football Player Killed In Rollover Crash On I-91
Semi-Pro Football Player Killed In Rollover Crash On I-91 A 22-year-old man who was a star running back for a Connecticut semi-pro football team was killed after crashing his car on I-91 in Hartford County, authorities said.  Davian Andrew Pallotto, of Prospect in New Haven County, died after he rolled his 2007 Cadillac CTS around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, Connecticut State Police said.  Pallotto was driving north on I-91 when he veered across a lane of traffic onto a grassy median, where the car lost control near Exit 23 and began to tumble, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Pallotto played running …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
'We Will Remember': Loved Ones Honor Mom, Daughter, Teacher Killed In Regional Plane Crash 'We Will Remember': Loved Ones Honor Mom, Daughter, Teacher Killed In Regional Plane Crash
'We Will Remember': Loved Ones Honor Mom, Daughter, Teacher Killed In Regional Plane Crash Communities across Connecticut are reeling following the death of four residents in a small airplane crash on Sunday, Sept. 8, as they returned home from a luncheon in Rhode Island.  The victims were:  Paul Pelletier, age 55, of Columbia, in Tolland County Frank Rodriquez, age 88, of Lebanon, in New London County Susan Van Ness, age 51, of Middletown, in Middlesex County Delilah Van Ness, age 15, of Middletown, in Middlesex County Pelletier was an aviation teacher at Middletown High School and Delilah Van Ness was his student. Susan Van Ness was Delilah's mother.  Ori…

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by Josh Lanier