Haverhill

John D. Stevens Sr., Advocate for Seniors at Glynn, Stevens-Bennett Dies at 81

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John D. Stevens Sr., of Haverhill, passed peacefully April 8 at age 81. He was born in Salem, N.H., Dec. 4, 1941, the devoted youngest son of the late Eva R. and Mansur K. Stevens. After graduating from Woodbury High School in Salem and Boston University, he married the love of his life Joyce (Daley) with whom he would have celebrated 60 years of marriage in May. They raised five children on Groveland Street and later East Broadway in Haverhill.

Haverhill

Calling Hours Saturday for Bishop Franklin W. Hobbs, Who Died March 30 at 87

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Bishop Franklin W. Hobbs, 87, of Derry, N.H., passed away March 30, at his residence surrounded by his loving family. Born in Newark, N.J., June 20, 1935, son of the late Hosea J. and Ada (Robinson) Hobbs. Franklin is the eighth child of 11 children born to the couple. A proud Veteran, he served in the United States Air Force as a medic. Bishop Hobbs served in the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for 66 years.

Haverhill

Richard P. Maguire, Former Haverhill Teacher, Longtime Business Owner, Dies at 80

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Richard P. “Bugga” Maguire, of Seabrook Beach, N.H., and a former resident of Haverhill, died unexpectedly at his home Monday, March 20, with his loving wife by his side. He was 80. Born in Haverhill on Sept. 15, 1942, to the late William J. and Mary (Delaney) Maguire, he was raised in the Bradford section of Haverhill. He attended Sacred Hearts School in Bradford and was a longtime devoted parishioner.

Haverhill

Henri Zefta, Booster for Children’s Downtown Restaurant, Dies at 88

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Henri Zefta, who played a significant role in his children’s downtown Haverhill restaurant, died March 17. He was born Aug. 9, 1934 and passed away at the age of 88. Zefta was the eldest of eight children and he met his wife, Laurice, at the age of 22 and they have been married for the last 64 years. They had four children together: Marie, Issa, Kamal and Jamal.

Obituaries

Funeral Services Friday for Former Lawrence City Councilor Alvarez-Rodriguez

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A memorial service for Nilka Ivette Alvarez-Rodriguez, a former Lawrence City Councilor with deep ties throughout the Merrimack Valley, takes place Friday afternoon. Alvarez-Rodriguez, 62, of Lawrence, died Wednesday, Feb. 15, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She was elected to five terms on the Lawrence City Council, beginning in 1999, was chair of the Housing Committee for eight of those years. She was a member of the adjunct faculty of Merrimack College and, between 2004 and 2010, worked as program director at the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Haverhill

Robert E. DesMarais, Veteran, Former Haverhill City Councilor, Dies at 86

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Former Haverhill City Councilor Robert E. DesMarais died Thursday, Feb. 2, at age 86. DesMarais served in the U.S. Army in post-Armistice Korea and New York City and “carried a bag” as a salesman for Hallmark Cards for 30 years. He also served as a longtime member of the city’s Board of Registrars of Voters. He was a communicant and volunteer at Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford for many years besides serving until recently as the secretary of the Garrison Golf Club League at Crystal Springs Country Club.

Haverhill

Joseph B. Spero, Retired Haverhill Police Officer, Dies at 82

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Retired Haverhill Police Officer Joseph B. Spero, 82, of Haverhill, died Tuesday morning, Jan. 10, at Lawrence General Hospital, Lawrence. He was born in Haverhill, March 27, 1940, son of the late Bernard and Cecile (Gouin) Spero. Educated in the Haverhill school system, Spero graduated from Essex Agricultural High School, Danvers, class of 1959. For more than 20 years, beginning in 1961, he was employed as a clerk at the former John D. Osgood Electrical and continued in the same capacity with Nelson Powell Electrical.

Haverhill

Former Haverhill High School Athlete Dies After Three-Story Fall in Cancún; Services are Friday

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Family and friends are mourning a 20-year-old former Haverhill High School athlete who died after falling three stories from a balcony Friday while on vacation in Cancún, Mexico. Mexican police ruled Leah “Lee” Pearse’s death accidental. An obituary reports she attempted to enter her Airbnb through a third-floor balcony after locking her keys inside. “Tragically she slipped, fell and died instantly,” the notice reported. Pearse graduated from the Classical Academy at Haverhill High School in 2020 where she was involved in student council, MC-ing coffeehouses, playing on the JV Lacrosse team and serving as a co-captain of the girls’ swim team.