Published in the July 3, 2015 edition
MELROSE — Lois V. (Sentner) Abbott, 85, a longtime resident of Melrose, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 28, at the Kaplan Family Hospice House.
Lois was born in Melrose on April 8, 1930, one of four children of the late Walter C. and Mina (Horne) Sentner. Raised and educated in Melrose, she married Richard E. Abbott on July 2, 1949 and settled in Melrose to raise her three children.
Lois was a woman of simple needs. She oriented much of her life around being with family and her home on North High Street was the center of it all. She and Dick lived there from 1959 through 2002 and she cherished the house for all the memories they had.
Her first priority was always her family and second was keeping a good home. She loved cleaning and organizing everything and always made sure the house was kept up.
Summer vacations were spent in the White Mountains in New Hampshire for family adventures near North Conway.
After her children had grown, she worked part time as a secretary at Deering Lumber in Melrose. Later in life, she enjoyed working the family kiosk “The Snack Shack” with her husband Dick at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers.
Lois was a strong willed, independent woman who was never shy about offering her opinion. She loved ice cream, listening to country music and a good laugh. She was particularly fond of car rides, especially Sunday rides with her husband, inevitably finding her sister’s home in Groveland to visit.
In her free time, she enjoyed afternoon tea, knitting and crochet with her friends and neighbors on North High Street. After Dick retired, they enjoyed an afternoon stroll to downtown Melrose for a cup of coffee and donut. She will be lovingly remembered by her family and her memory will live on in their hearts.
Lois was the beloved wife of the late Richard E. Abbott Sr. with whom she shared 61 years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Gail Swanson and her husband Daniel of Saugus, Rick Abbott Jr. and his wife Maureen of Andover and Cheryl D. Abbott-Shalvey and her husband Eugene of Quincy. She was the cherished grandmother of Amanda Wrinn, Marissa Swanson, Nathan Abbott, Emily Abbott, Patrick Shalvey, Steven Shalvey and Kristin Shalvey. She was the loving great-grandmother of Emma Grace Wrinn and Jack Matthew Wrinn. She was the dear sister of the late Valerie Scarborough, Walter J. Sentner, Roy Jeffrey, Mabel McKenzie and many other deceased siblings. Also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends were respectfully invited to attend visiting hours at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main St., Melrose on Wednesday, July 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. Services and interment were private.
Gifts in memory of Lois may be made to Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty St., Danvers MA 01923.
To send a condolence, visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com.
