William E Lekas

beloved husband, brother, uncle, great uncle, great-great uncle and friend;  

William E. “Bill” Lekas, 68, of Tyngsborough, passed away unexpectantly on Monday September 23, 2019 at Lowell General Hospital.  He was the beloved husband of Elaine M Lekas (Haskell), with whom he had celebrated his 42nd wedding anniversary on August 27th. They were truly best friends, and partners in every aspect of life.

Born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts, to the late Evangelos “Teddy” and the late Emelia (Rapeiko) Lekas, he was raised in the Acre section of Lowell, something that he took great pride in throughout his life and attended the Greek School, the Bartlett Junior High School, and Lowell High School, from where he graduated in 1969.

Bill went on to gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Lowell State, his teaching certificate from St. Anselm’s College, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Fitchburg State University.

He taught for over 30 years at Dracut High School and Nashoba Valley Technical High School, before retiring in 2010. In his years of teaching he also coached various sports, including basketball and baseball. He cared greatly for every student that entered his classroom and gave every student an equal chance.

In his retirement, he continued his passion for teaching, as an adjunct professor at both UMass Lowell and Middlesex Community College. He served on the board of trustees at the Tyngsboro Public Library for 19 years, where he made many good friends. 

A lifelong learner, as well as a lifelong teacher, he was an Uncle, Great Uncle, and Great-Great Uncle to many, something that was very important to him. He was always there for his nieces and nephews, and anyone else who needed it, to tell a joke, lend a listening ear, and most importantly, give advice.

A lover of nature, Bill loved providing for the many birds in his yard and enjoyed fishing (although he released anything he caught).

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister Bessie LeBreque of Dracut, brother Sambati Lekas and his wife Linda of Chelmsford; his brother-in-law David T. Haskell and his wife Christine of Tewksbury, sister-in-law Nancy Haskell and her partner Kathleen Broga of Chelmsford, and his brother-in-law Charles Kuenzler of Lowell; nieces and nephews Tommy, Kathy, Charlie, Judy, Nancy, Michael, John, god-daughter Christina, Danny, Christine, Brian, Ben, Maria, god-son Teddy, and Dougie; as well as many Great and Great Great nieces and nephews. Bill is also survived by two cousins Sharon Lekas and Thea Curry.

He was also predeceased by his sister Anna Kuenzler, his brother-in-law Roland “Smokey” LeBreque his nephew Evangelos “Teddy” Lekas and his mother-in-law Marjorie Haskell. Bill is also survived by many friends made over the years from all walks of his life.

Friends may call at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME, 276 PAWTUCKET ST. in LOWELL Thursday afternoon from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Private Services will be held for his family at a later date. E-condolences/directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to The Open Pantry of Greater Lowell 13 Hurd Street Lowell, MA 01852, theopenpantry.org. Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr. – (978) 458-8768.

Michael D. Funaro

Beloved husband, Father, grandfather

Michael D. Funaro, 76, of Tyngsboro, MA passed away Monday morning at Lowell General Hospital surrounded by his loving family.

He was the loving husband of Eugenia (Ostis) Funaro who survives him.

Born in New Bedford, MA, April 25, 1943, a son of the late Angelo and Margaret (Bougie) Funaro, he attended Schools in New Bedford.  Michael furthered his education at both New Bedford Tech and the former Lowell Technological Institute.

For many years, Mr. Funaro was employed as an Electrical Draftsman at the Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard.  He enjoyed sailing and following the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots.

In addition to his wife Eugenia, he is survived by two sons, David and his wife Kelly Funaro of Annandale, VA and Daniel and his wife Nicole Funaro of Westford; a step-daughter, Demetria Johnson and her husband Robert Atkins of Alexandria, NH and four grandsons, Cameron, Lucas, Jack and Jason Funaro.

Mr. Funaro was the brother of the late Martha Downey.

All services are private.  E-condolences at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701. Arrangements by the O’Don nell Funeral Home, Funeral Director, James F. O’Donnell, Jr. 978-458-8768.

Karen Jean Brown

Beloved sister, aunt and friend;   

With profound sadness we announce our beloved sister has slipped peacefully away to be reunited with our parents Thelma (Champlin) Brown and Joseph Brown. She passed away on Wednesday evening September 11, 2019 after a ten year battle with metastatic breast cancer.

Karen attended Lowell schools and graduated from Lowell High School in the class of 1975.

In a career which spanned for over 40 years, Karen worked for the Raytheon Corporation when she began at the Lowell location and then later transferred to the Andover offices when the South Lowell plant closed its doors until her retirement in 2017.

A very proud member of the IBEW Local 1505 Union, Raytheon was like her second home, as she had a multitude of close friends who supported her tremendously during her battle with cancer over ten years.

An avid Boston sports fan, particularly for the Sox and Pats, Karen never missed watching a single, solitary Red Sox or Patriots game.

Second to her deep love of Boston sports, Karen truly loved going to the beach. Two years ago she found her “happy place” and decided to purchase a home in Seabrook, NH. She loved to travel and was a voracious reader.

Karen is survived by two sisters, Colleen Gagnon of Manchester, NH and Lynne (Brown-Zounes) Cote and her husband Ron of Catalina, AZ; her former brothers-in-law Scott McGrath and Billy Zounes both of Lowell; her niece Jaime Dillon and her husband Michael of Worcester and their children Hailey, Taylor DaSilva and Aidan Dillon; her nephew Jason McGrath and his wife Connie of Oro Valle, AZ and their children Serene Wagner and Paige McGrath as well as many aunts, uncles with great memories of fun times with them and their cousins.

Karen also enjoyed the time she spent with her many childhood friends including Cindy and Kevin Perrault, Eileen and Michael Gauthier, Darlene Ryan, Scott Keeley and her second family at Raytheon Corporation.

 She was the sister in law of the late Paul Gagnon.

Friends may call at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME, 276 PAWTUCKET ST. in LOWELL Saturday morning from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. followed by her Funeral Service to be celebrated in the Funeral Home at 11:30 A.M. Her Committal Services will be private for the family at a later date. E-Condolences may be made at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to St. Jude’s Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN, 38101. Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr..   

Helen (Antonopoulos) Palavras

Beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend;

Helen (Antonopoulos) Palavras, 103, of the Highlands section of Lowell, passed away peacefully Thursday September 5, 2019 at D’Youville Senior Care in Lowell surrounded by her loving family.

She was the loving wife of the late Arthur Palavras who died January 13, 2007.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, April 27, 1916, a daughter of the late George and the late Eugenia (Bilonis) Antonopoulos, she received her education in the Lowell School system.

Prior to her retirement, she was a Candy Maker at Boston Confectionary for many years.

Among her many interests, Helen enjoyed knitting and watching the Boston Red Sox, enjoying her first visit to Fenway Park at age 100 with her three grandsons.

Helen is survived by her daughter Jean Kasparian and her husband Robert of Chelmsford; her son James Palavras and his wife Joan E. of Chelmsford; three grandchildren James S. Palavras of Milford, CT, David Kasparian and his wife Lisa of Dover, MA and Michael Kasparian and his wife Kimberly of Carlisle, MA; four great grandchildren Ava, Ella, Mia and Kelsey Kasparian; her sister Mary Anastopoulos of Lowell; and several nieces and nephews.

 Friends may call at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME 276 PAWTUCKET ST. in LOWELL from 9:45 to 10:45 A.M. Monday morning September 9, 2019 followed by her Funeral Service at the Funeral Home at 11 o’clock. Burial will follow at the Westlawn Cemetery in Lowell. E-condolences/directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr. (978)-458-8768.