Skip to content ↓

Obits, Aroian to Woods, 19 in all

Edna Aroian

Word has been received of the June 23 death of Edna Aroian, 81, of Quincy, a service staff member in Biology from 1964 until her retirement in 1978. Her survivors include a son, Charles Hanrahan of Quincy, and two daughters, Joan Lambert and Ann Murphy.

Agnes Blackhurst

Agnes Blackhurst, 88, of Saugus, who retired in 1972 from Endicott House, died on June 19. She leaves a son, David.

Donald W. Callahan

Donald W. Callahan, 77, of Wayland, a former senior stock clerk in the Office of Laboratory Supplies, died on April 28. Mr. Callahan worked at MIT from 1946 until his retirement in 1981. His survivors include a son, Stephen Callahan.

Clarence Christiansen

Word has been received of the June 13 death of Clarence Christiansen, 81, of Palm Harbor, FL. Mr. Christiansen was a staff member in Mechanical Engineering from 1934 until his retirement in 1972. He leaves his wife, Gladys Christiansen.

June Ferracane

June Ferracane, 59, of Cambridge, who worked in the Treasurer's Office from 1962 until her retirement in 1991, died on May 22. She leaves two children, Cynthia Jackson and Richard Ferracane.

Inaki Garabieta

Inaki Garabieta, 67, of Lexington, a former instructor in architecture and research engineer in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, died on May 22 in the MIT Infirmary following a long illness. Mr. Garabieta worked at MIT from 1966 until his retirement in 1992.A native of Bilbao, Spain, Mr. Garabieta was a gifted craftsman who had studied and taught cabinet-making, sculpture and casting before coming to this country. Describing his colleague as a "creative genius," Dr. Joseph Perkell, a senior research scientist in the Research Laboratory of Electronics, said: "A few of us in RLE were privileged to come to know of his genius, and several of our projects benefited enormously from it. Virtually everything he made reflected a deep intelligence, the highest possible standards and an extraordinary understanding of exactly how things should work; at the same time, it was also a real work of art."Mr. Garabieta is survived by his wife, Maria Pilar Garabieta; three sons, Inaki of Deer Park, TX, Unai of Wilmington and Endika of Leominster; a daughter, Zurine Corcorran of Humble, TX, and six grandchildren. Remembrances may be sent to MIT for the Center for Cancer Research.

Thomas Gately

Thomas Gately, 65, of Wrentham, assistant maintenance manager in Housing and Food Services, died on June 26, following a long illness. Mr. Gately, who formerly lived in Cambridge, had worked at MIT since 1981.A veteran of World War II, he is survived by his mother, Catherine Gately of Wrentham; a daughter, Susan M. of Pembroke; his former wife, Therese A. Heffernan, and three grandchildren.

Anthony S. Gravito

Anthony S. Gravito, 68, of Billerica, a retired electrician at Lincoln Laboratory, died on July 1. Mr. Gravito worked at Lincoln from 1969 until his retirement in 1985. He leaves two sons, Anthony and Stephen Gravito, both of Billerica.

William F. Kane

Officer William F. Kane, 73, of Arlington, a member of the Campus Police for 20 years, died on May 24. A former state police officer, he joined the MIT Police in 1967 and retired in 1987. He is survived by a daughter, Kathleen, and two sons, Michael and William F. Kane Jr.

Loretta Marobella

A funeral Mass was said June 16 for Loretta Marobella, 80, of Cambridge, who died on June 12. Mrs. Marobella was a support staff member at the Faculty Club from 1952 until her retirement in 1977. She continued to work part-time until 1984.She is survived by her daughter, Grace Quayle of Cambridge; two granddaughters amd a great-grandson.

Frances L. Momo

Word has been received of the death of Frances L. Momo, 76, of Belmont. Mrs. Momo was a secretary at Lincoln Laboratory until her retirement in 1984. She leaves her husband, Lynn R. Momo.

Harding Montesanti

Harding Montesanti, 73, of Revere, who worked in Physical Plant from 1949 until retiring in 1986, died on July 4. His survivors include his wife, Albertina Montesanti; a daughter, Maureen Souza, and two grandchildren.

Bruno Pedrini

Bruno Pedrini, 92, of Yarmouth, who worked in Physical Plant from 1954 until his retirement in 1968, died on May 4. He is survived by a daughter, Shirley McKnight.

Joseph V. Privatero

Joseph V. Privatero, 69, of South Boston, died suddenly on July 5. Mr. Privatero was an engineer in Physical Plant from 1969 until his retirement earlier this year. He is survived by his mother, Lucy Marquardo; a daughter, Claire Privatero, and a sister, Lorraine Tagariello.

Peter A. Ridge

Word has been received of the May 17 death of Peter A. Ridge, a driver at the Laboratory for Nuclear Science from 1964 until 1981. He leaves a sister, Margaret C. Ridge.

Joseph W. Robichaud

Joseph W. Robichaud, 72, of Reading, a former drafter at Lincoln Laboratory, died on May 3. Mr. Robichaud worked at Lincoln from 1958 until his retirement in 1984.He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Robichaud; a daughter, Dr. Cheryl Kelly, and three sons, Joseph W. Jr., Paul and William Robichaud.

Millicent E. Taylor

Millicent E. Taylor, 75, of Falmouth, an administrative assistant in Operations and Systems, died on June 30. She worked at MIT from 1964 until her retirement in 1981. She leaves a cousin, Eileen Farrell.

Marie Warnock

Marie Warnock, 83, of Maynard, a support staff member in Telecommunications, died on July 5. She worked at MIT from 1955 until her retirement in 1972. She leaves a brother, Richard Ferguson, and many nieces and nephews.

Helen T. Woods

A funeral Mass was said August 1 for Helen T. Woods, 75, of Arlington, who died July 29. Mrs. Woods was an office assistant in the MIT Employees Federal Credit Union from 1966 until her retirement in 1984.She is survived by her husband, John J. Woods; two sons, Jack Woods of Stoneham and Edward F. Woods of Arlington; a daughter, Jeanne M. Dias of Atlantic Beach, FL, and 11 grandchildren. Remembrances may be sent to Fidelity House, 25 Medford Street, Arlinton 02174.

A version of this article appeared in the August 17, 1994 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 39, Number 2).

Related Topics

More MIT News

Headshot of Catherine Wolfram

A delicate dance

Professor of applied economics Catherine Wolfram balances global energy demands and the pressing need for decarbonization.

Read full story