A faithful woman who was very social and enjoyed a laugh
MELROSE — Our Mom, Nana, and Great-Grandmother, Jean Crosby Awiszus, of Melrose, surrounded by her family, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 20, 2022, just short of her 92nd birthday.
Jean was born in Malden on September 2, 1930 and grew up in Wakefield. She was the daughter of the late Margaret (Duggan) Crosby and James Crosby. Primarily a devoted housewife and homemaker, Jean was also a lunch mother at Hoover School and then continued to volunteer for numerous years, worked at New England Telephone Company, Office Manager for the Melrose Free Press, Medford Visiting Nurse Association and Winchester Orthodontics.
Jean was an active member of the Melrose Catholic Woman’s Club and Melrose Woman’s Club that raised funds to support various local charities and our Church. Each month, Jean looked forward to attending the GALS Group (GABY Alliance of Ladies Society), which spanned over 50 years. She met amazing women and cherished their time with laughter and created many lifelong friendships. She had many friends and was very social. Most important to her was her family.
A longtime and active parishioner of St. Mary’s Church, she was a frequent volunteer at parish events, and held her faith close to her heart. A strong Irish woman, she was very social, enjoyed a laugh, and was deeply devoted to her family. She will be deeply missed, but always lovingly remembered for her devotion and care for her family.
She was predeceased by her husband, William R. Awiszus, Sr.. Jean will be deeply missed by her children Ann Forrest and husband David of Melrose, Martha and her husband Richard Stewart of Kingston, Bill and his wife Carol of Franklin, and Jim and his wife Maribeth Netishen of Andover. Jean was also Nana to David & Tim Forrest, Meghan (Forrest) Britt, Alex & Patrick Stewart, Caitlyn, Billy, Maeve, J. Michael and Liam Awiszus and her great-grandchildren, Ava and Romeo. She is also survived by her brother James Crosby of Stuart, Florida and many nieces and nephews.
Mom,
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be at your back
May the sunshine warm your face
And rains fall soft upon the fields
Until we meet again
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather in honor of Jean’s life during visiting hours at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main St., Melrose on Friday, August 26 from 4-7 p.m., and for her funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Church, Herbert St., Melrose on Saturday at 10 a.m. Interment at St. Patrick Cemetery, Stoneham. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made for continued research to help those with Dementia to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452 or online at Jean’s Tribute page: http://act.alz.org/goto/Jean_Awiszus.
For online tribute visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com.
