Today’s Obituaries— Aug. 5: Rev. Father McGowan, Thibault, Zagarella

(File photograph.)

Rev. Father Frederick R. McGowan, Jr., 94, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor emeritus of Saint James Parish of Haverhill, died Wednesday, July 31 at Regina Cleri Residence for retired priests in Boston. He attended Boston College and in 1944 entered Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton and was ordained a priest by the late Archbishop Richard Cardinal Cushing at The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in 1949.

He was first assigned to St. Jerome’s Parish in North Weymouth, and later served at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish of Beverly and St. Thomas Parish of Peabody. In 1971 Fr. McGowan was named senior assistant pastor at Saint James Parish in Haverhill, and later was appointed pastor of Saint James in 1975 serving the fourth oldest parish in the Merrimack Valley until 1998.

Following his retirement as Pastor of Saint James Parish in 1998, he was named senior priest of St. Florence Parish of Wakefield and established his residence in Greenleaf Park, Merrimac, until moving to Lowell in 2014 and finally retiring to the Regina Cleri Residence in 2016. He celebrated his sixtieth anniversary as priest on May 4.

A prayer service and visitation takes place on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Regina Cleri Residence, 60 William Cardinal O’Connell Way, Boston. On Thursday Aug. 8, Fr. McGowan will lie in state from 9-10:30 a.m. at Saint James Church 185, Winter St., Haverhill. A Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial with His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston as main celebrant will be offered at 11 a.m. in the church. Burial follows on Thursday afternoon in the family lot of Fairview Cemetery, Hyde Park.

Robert G. Thibault, 79, of Haverhill and Atkinson, N.H. died Wednesday, July 31 surrounded by family and friends. Thibault retired as the director of data security from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and worked as a part-time income tax preparer out of his own office on Primrose Street during his retirement. Visiting hours are Saturday, Aug. 10, in the Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 South Main St., Haverhill, from 9-11 a.m. followed by funeral services beginning at 11 a.m. Burial is in Atkinson Cemetery, Atkinson, N.H.

John Zagarella, 75, of Bradford, formerly of Cambridge, died Friday Aug. 2. Calling hours are Wednesday, Aug. 7 from 5-8 p.m. at the H.L. Farmer & Sons Bradford Funeral Home, 210 South Main St. His funeral will be held on Thursday, Aug. 8 beginning at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at Holy Apostles Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church, 154 Winter St., Haverhill. Burial takes place in Linwood Cemetery.

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