J. Stephen Rembis, 65, Raytheon Engineer

J. Stephen Rembis, 65, of Haverhill passed away with his family by his side Saturday, Jan. 24, after a  battle with cancer.

The son of Marion J. (Hanscom) and the late Julian S. Rembis, Rembis was born and raised in Haverhill and graduated from Haverhill High School, class of 1968. He married Darlene Boucher, his high school sweetheart, Sept. 25, 1971. Rembis received his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and went on to receive his master’s from Southern New Hampshire University. He retired from Raytheon in Andover after 37 years of working as an electrical engineer and manager in the Patriot and HAWK missile defense divisions. He held memberships in MENSA as well as the Garibaldi Club. Rembis was an active participant in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life event, and supported the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill for many years.

Rembis was an avid sports fan cheering on the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins. He also participated in many sports, baseball, street hockey, basketball and football in his younger years, but he had a passion for ice hockey which he played for 50 years on traveling teams, especially enjoying tournaments held in New Hampshire, Maine and Canada with international competitors. Steve also coached P.A.L. Baseball and the Haverhill Youth Hockey League for many years.

Rembis’ greatest love was for his family, and he enjoyed spending time with them especially at his summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee in Tuftonboro, N.H. He was a member of Ridgewood Country Club in Moultonborough, N.H., where he played golf with his many friends from Edge-O-Lake Village. An avid golfer, Steve will be remembered for his efforts to establish and run the Edge-O-Lake Village Golf Tournament held at Ridgewood for the past several years. When not on the ice or the links, Steve enjoyed busying himself with remodeling work on his home, tinkering with his vehicles or helping others with home improvement or other projects. An avid reader, he also enjoyed word and Sudoku puzzles and playing board games with family and friends.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Darlene F. (Boucher) Rembis; son, Scott M. Rembis of Haverhill;  daughter and her husband, Sarah A. and Joel Anderson of Salem, N.H.; brothers Kevin S. Rembis of Wolfeboro, N.H., James M. Rembis of Haverhill, and David S. Rembis of Newton, N.H.; three grandchildren, Mason Q. Pelletier and Maya E. Anderson of Salem, N.H., and Jared M. Rembis of Haverhill. He also leaves his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Andrea and Dennis McCraken, Heidi and John Nooney, Patricia and Gerald Jalbert, Glenn and Charlene Boucher and Joseph Boucher and his longtime partner, Albert Underhill. Further, he leaves several aunts, nephews, nieces as well as lifelong friends Gary and Cheryl Baker of Haverhill and Peter and Lori Comeau of Andover. Rembis also leaves several cousins among whom is Elizabeth (Betty) (Rembis) Goossens whom he considered a sister since they were very close growing up. The family wishes to thank the staff at Merrimack Valley Hospice as well as Steve’s medical team at MGH, especially Lecia Sequist, MD, and Kelly Goodwin, NP, for their exceptionally compassionate care over the past three years.

Friends and family are respectfully invited to call Wednesday from 4: tol 7 p.m. Funeral services will begin on Thursday morning at 9 from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10 in All Saints Church, 120 Bellevue Ave. Haverhill. Burial will follow at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, North Broadway, Haverhill. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Massachusetts General Hospital, Be A Piece of the Solution, https://give.massgeneral.org/be-a-piece or to Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Lawrence, MA 01843.