Tribute to Frank and Patricia Romeo for 75 years of service to the town at Putnam House July 28

 

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — All are welcome to a community tribute honoring the memories of Patricia and Frank Romeo who dedicated a combined 75 years of service to the restoration and preservation of the 1720 Rev. Daniel Putnam House and other historical buildings and artifacts that chronicle the origins of town of North Reading.

The celebration will be held on Sunday, July 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the Putnam House and its surrounding grounds and buildings at 27 Bow St. Refreshments will be served.

After Pat passed away last September shortly after her 87th birthday, their children and grandchildren wanted to ensure that the preservation efforts of their parents and so many other members of the North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society would continue with successive generations of townspeople. Their father had died suddenly 22 years earlier. Between them both they volunteered with the Historical Society for a combined 75 years and both were auxiliary police officers.

Pat had dedicated 52 years of her life to the preservation of the Putnam House and had introduced countless elementary students to the Colonial life, greeting the students in her colonial era costumes and taking them on tours of the house. She was a House Director, Board Member and a Past President of the Historical Society as well as a member of the Historic District Commission and an elected member of the North Reading Community Planning Commission for many years.

“My father did construction. He helped construct buildings and he fixed and repaired things throughout his life,” recalled their daughter, Christine Romeo. “My mother started with actively engaging the community and to running the tours for the school children until she couldn’t walk anymore. She was doing that in her early 80s. I have pictures of her in her 40s in the ‘70s inside the Putnam House and then pictures of her in her 80s dressed up and with kids.”

“As a result of her passing and her commitment to the town, and specifically to the Historical Society and the Putnam House, we spoke to the Historical Society and we said can we acknowledge their incredible commitment to town?” Christine said.

It was decided that they would “install a beautiful commemorative plaque in the Putnam House to commemorate their combined 75 years of service to the town of North Reading and specifically to the Putnam House,” she said.

 

 

“We thought it was important to acknowledge that because communities in this modern age, with internet and Facebook, loose their in-person community. It was my mother’s dream to continue that.

“My mother in her last days, would talk about community involvement and the gold mine that the town is sitting on which is this beautiful historic property which doesn’t have enough people to have it open. They do not have the manpower to open on the last Sunday of the month for the day. And there’s many people who have never been inside it and don’t even know what it is!” Christine said.

This has inspired them to use this opportunity to create awareness about the need for new and active volunteer members of the Historical Society and to also raise funds to continue the many preservation projects that make the grounds even more engaging.

“We really want the community to know what they are sitting on. The Putnam House was one of the first buildings to be built in North Reading to make North Reading what it is. North Reading, Reading and Wakefield was all one town called Reading,” she said.

“Luckily Norcam did a video of my mother giving a tour in 2012 so we are going to take the audio of the very beginning of that video and we’re going to play it at the dedication where she talks about how North Reading was created. It is a four-minute explanation in her voice. It is interesting how much she really knew about how this town came into existence,” Christine said.

Even if people cannot commit to volunteer for the Historical Society the family wants the community members to stop by and enjoy this gem in their midst.

“It was her dream to get more community engagement and making it a center for social engagement and for preservation of the town and education for the kids,” Christine said.

As an added bonus, there will be a special guest at the event who will sing and will be available to take selfies with fans for a donation to the Historical Society.

Abbey Romeo, 26, of “Love on the Spectrum,” fame, is one of Pat’s grandchildren and she wants to help raise funds in honor of her grandmother.

In addition to having a large following related to her show as a “social influencer” Abbey has almost 2 million followers on TikTok and 700,000 followers on Instagram.

Like her grandmother, Abbey also sings. “Abbey spent her summers in North Reading and one of her gifts is she sings. She always says ‘grandma gave me my voice’ because Pat was a singer and sang at St. Theresa’s all those years,” Christine said.

“Abbey will probably start the ceremony with a song, probably the National Anthem, and at the end of the day, 3:30 to 4 p.m. if people want to take a selfie with Abbey and make a donation to the Putnam House they can,” Christine said.

“We wanted to do a day where we acknowledge what my mother wanted and we try to pass the baton in the community. This isn’t just about my parents. It’s about engaging the community and to encourage people to come by. The Historical Society is seeking new members and getting businesses in the community involved would be great, getting the schools, or anyone who wants to work with the Historical Society to create a kids’ program” would be wonderful too, she believes.

To RSVP go to @ichristine.romeo@gmail.com or stop by on July 28 to remember Pat and Frank Romeo.