Barbara Bruce
Devoted to her family and St. Rose Parish
Barbara L. (Clark) Bruce, a Chelsea resident, died on October 26 at Hancock Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Quincy, where she was receiving care during her final illness. She was 79.
A Boston native who spent her early years in Roxbury, Barbara graduated from Roxbury Memorial School for Girls. She later earned an Associates Degree from Boston Business School and worked as Executive Secretary at the Garland Knitting Mills following her graduation.
Upon marrying Robert and moving to Chelsea, Barbara became deeply involved with St. Rose Parish. She taught and served as secretary at St. Rose School for more than 34 years until retiring in 2003. She held the position of former President of the St. Rose Woman’s Club, participated actively in the church choir, and volunteered with the local American Red Cross chapter. Barbara enjoyed Broadway shows, playing piano, reading, and was an avid Red Sox fan.
She was the devoted wife of the late Robert H. Bruce, Jr.; beloved mother of Robert H. Bruce, III of Andover and Susan M. Bruce-McGrath and her husband, John F. of Methuen; daughter of the late Frank Harry Clark and Frances (Lawlor) Burke and step daughter of the late Charles Burke; dear sister of Frank Clark and his late wife, Elizabeth of Norwood, Loretta Carter and her husband, William of Quincy, Eugene Clark and his wife, Shirley of Foxboro and the late Patricia Dello Russo and her surviving husband, Edward of Florida and the late John Clark; cherished grandmother of Christopher, Robert IV, Derek and Stephanie and is also lovingly survived by her cousins, Joan Lyons and Alice Hanson as well as by many nieces and nephews.
A funeral service was held at the Smith Funeral Home, 125 Washington Avenue, Chelsea on Friday, October 30 at 9 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Rose Church, 600 Broadway, Chelsea at 10 a.m. Visiting hours took place Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. Interment followed at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. In Barbara’s memory, the family suggests donations to Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472 or to Children of Haiti Project, 110 Breed’s Hill Rd. #2, Hyannis, MA 02601. Condolences may be sent through www.smithfuneralhomes.com
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Mae Milley
Long time Chelsea resident
Mae (Yale) Milley, 95, passed away on October 19 at Aurora Senior Living in Derry, NH.
Born and raised in Chelsea, Mae was the daughter of the late John and Mary (Wardle) Yale. She attended Chelsea Public Schools and graduated from Chelsea High School in the Class of 1938. For most of her life Mae made her home in Chelsea before relocating to Aurora Senior Living Center in 2011. She worked as a retired transcription clerk for John Hancock Life Insurance Company in Boston, where she served for 10 years before her retirement in 1985.
Mae was the wife of the late Leslie Milley; devoted mother of Linda M. Bjorkman and Lorine Buzderewicz; dear sister of Eileen Kozak and the late George, Charles and John Yale and Hylda Marley. She is survived by four grandchildren: Joseph Buzderewicz, Kirk Bjorkman, Brian Bjorkman and Brenda Buzderewicz, and three great grandchildren: Mackenzie Buzderewicz, Brian Bjorkman, Jr. and Noah Bjorkman.
A Memorial Service was held at the First Congregational Church in Chelsea, with interment at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. The family suggests donations in Mae’s memory to the First Congregational Church Memorial Fund, 26 County Rd., Chelsea, MA 02150. Carafa Family Funeral Home in Chelsea handled the arrangements.