Mary Rita (Lee) Allen

MARY RITA (LEE) ALLEN – of Stoneham, formerly of Malden and Chelsea, October 16th. Beloved wife of the late Alfred W. Allen and the late Edward H. Brown. Devoted mother of Mary Brandt and her husband John of Stoneham, Carolyn Brown of Lowell, and Edward Brown and his wife Dorothy of Woburn. Dear sister of Virginia Muise and her husband Leo of Tewksbury, Robert E. Lee of FL, and several deceased brothers and sisters. Cherished grandmother of Maureen Vedope and her husband Alan, Kathleen Mauriot and her husband Fred, Jerome Kaper and his husband Christopher Casale, James Brandt and his wife Cathy, Melissa Silvia and her husband Kevin, Nadine Looney and her husband Paul, Kelly Razzaboni, Scott Brown, and the late Michael Kaper. Also survived by nine great-grandchildren: Juliette and Connor Mauriot, Michelle, Kathryn, and Michael Brandt, Paul and Jordyn Looney, and Tyler and Kara Razzaboni. Funeral from the Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, 263 Main Street, Woburn, on Thursday, October 20th, at 9 a.m. Funeral mass in St. Patrick’s Church, 71 Central Street, Stoneham, at 10. Calling hours are Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. Interment in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, 185 Lake Street, Peabody. Donations may be made in Rita’s memory to the St. Labre Indian School, 1000 Tongue River Road, Ashland, MT 59003 or Boys Town, 200 Flanagan Boulevard, PO Box 6000, Boys Town, NE 68010.

OBITUARY:

Mary Rita Allen of Stoneham passed away peacefully at the Tuell Nursing Center in Melrose Saturday morning, October 16th, just a week before her ninety-fourth birthday. She was the beloved wife of the late Alfred W. Allen, who died in 1996, and was also predeceased by her first husband, Edward H. Brown, who died in 1954.

Born in Chelsea, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Florence (Dunn) Lee. She attended parochial schools in Chelsea, graduating from St. Rose High School with the class of 1935. After spending much of her life in Chelsea, she later lived in Malden and Stoneham.

Rita was a cashier for many years at the First National Stores in Malden and Stoneham. She loved baking and was famous for her Christmas cookies. She was an avid reader and enjoyed gardening and taking care of her beloved parakeet, “Petey.” In recent years, Rita frequented the Woburn Senior Center, where she enjoyed the Bingo games and activities as well as the bus trips with her friends.

Along with her late husband Alfred and her late husband Ed, she was preceded in death by her beloved grandson, Michael Kaper, and several brothers and sisters.

Surviving are two daughters, Mary Brandt and her husband John of Stoneham and Carolyn Brown of Lowell, a son, Edward Brown and his wife Dorothy of Woburn, a sister, Virginia Muise and her husband Leo of Tewksbury, and a brother, Robert E. Lee of Florida. She was the cherished grandmother of Maureen Vedope and her husband Alan, Kathleen Mauriot and her husband Fred, Jerome Kaper and his husband Christopher Casale, James Brandt and his wife Cathy, Melissa Silvia and her husband Kevin, Nadine Looney and her husband Paul, Kelly Razzaboni, Scott Brown, and the late Michael Kaper, and great-grandmother of Juliette and Connor Mauriot, Michelle, Kathryn, and Michael Brandt, Paul and Jordyn Looney, and Tyler and Kara Razzaboni.

The funeral will be held from the Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, 263 Main Street, Woburn, on Thursday, October 20th, at 9 a.m., followed by a funeral mass in St. Patrick’s Church, 71 Central Street, Stoneham, at 10. Interment will follow in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, 185 Lake Street, Peabody.

Relatives and friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Donations may be made in Rita’s memory to the St. Labre Indian School, 1000 Tongue River Road, Ashland, MT 59003 or Boys Town, 200 Flanagan Boulevard, PO Box 6000, Boys Town, NE 68010.