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DECEMBER 2020

Obituaries

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John H. Finnerty

AMHERST – Retired Weston Firefighter John H. Finnerty, of Amherst, New Hampshire, formerly of Weston, died at home on Sunday, November 22, 2020. He was 77 years old.

      John was born in Waltham on December 21, 1942, a son of the late James and Anne (McCaffrey) Finnerty. As a child his family moved to Lincoln where he graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury High School.

      After that he served as an M.P. with the Massachusetts Army National Guard. John was appointed by the Weston Fire Department as a call firefighter in 1972, a temporary firefighter in 1976 and a permanent firefighter in 1977. He was assigned as the department mechanic from 1987 through 2004. For more than thirty-five years he proudly served the people of Weston, retiring on December 31, 2007 at the age of 65. John cherished his career in the fire service and found great comfort in the camaraderie with his fellow firefighters.

      John married Manchester, New Hampshire native Deborah A. Davis in 1977 and the pair made their home in Weston where they would raise their children. The family made many happy memories during their annual summer trips to The Harborside Inn on Martha’s Vineyard. John was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed NASCAR, the Patriots, and the Red Sox.

      Affable by nature, John made friends wherever he went. Retirement afforded him the opportunity to move to Amherst, New Hampshire where he lived at ‘Summerfield of Amherst’ where he became the unofficial sprinkler maintenance man for the entire complex.

      The husband of the late Deborah A. (Davis) Finnerty, he leaves his children, Brian J. Finnerty and his husband, Justin Young of Collingswood, New Jersey and Sarah P. Finnerty of Maynard; his grandson, Theodore Finnerty-Young; his brothers and sister, James Finnerty, of Meredith, New Hampshire, Thomas Finnerty of Maynard, Kevin Finnerty of Lincoln and Maureen Onigman of Lincoln and many nieces, nephews and their families.

      Family and friends will honor and remember John’s life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Sunday, November 29th from 2 to 5 p.m. He will be laid to rest privately in the Finnerty lot at Linwood Cemetery, Weston.

      Memorial donations may be made to Adoptions from the Heart by visiting https://afth.org/support-our-mission/

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Robert Chamberlin Treadwell, Jr.

AMHERST – Robert C. Treadwell, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on Friday, November 20th, just shy of his 93rd birthday.  He was born on December 12, 1927, the only child of Robert C. Treadwell and Eleanor Judge Treadwell.  He was raised in Massachusetts, New York, and West Hartford, Connecticut where he graduated from William Hall High School.

  His college life began at Harvard where he completed his first year.  Like so many young men of that time, his education was interrupted by World War II.  He served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician after which he resumed his education and graduated from Harvard in 1951 with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics.

      His professional life began as a Development Engineer for eight years with E.I. duPont de Nemours in Delaware, followed by ten years as a Projects Manager for advanced technology programs with Raytheon’s Wayland Laboratories in Wayland, MA during which time the family lived in Sudbury, MA.  He moved to New Hampshire in 1968 to pursue a position as Group Manager with Sanders Associates of Nashua.  He went into his own business in 1970 as President and founder of Amherst Systems, one of the earliest alarm systems sales businesses utilizing advanced digital communication techniques.  He was also founder and President of Amherst Epoxy Distributors for epoxy molding compounds used for encapsulation of electronic components from 1977 to 1996 when he retired.  He held Professional Engineering Licenses in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire and a Master Electrician License in New Hampshire. 

      Bob was married to Jean Kissam Barhydt on June 23, 1951.  They were looking forward to celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this coming June 23, 2021.  In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children: Robert C. Treadwell III and his wife Debora, Elizabeth Oehmen and her husband Chris, Anne Benoit and her husband Tim, and Margaret Knaul and her husband Dan.  He also leaves eleven grandchildren: Sarah Treadwell, Robert C. Treadwell IV, Molly Treadwell, Michael Oehmen and his wife Victoria, Alison Oehmen, Andrew Benoit, Matthew Benoit, Katherine Benoit, Emily Knaul, Hannah Knaul, and William Knaul, one great grand-child, Eulalie.

      Bob enjoyed life!  In his youth, he was especially active in Boy Scouts, and set a direction for his lifetime in the pursuit of ham radio operation and its construction.  In his early days he took up golf, enjoyed hiking in the White Mountains, and taking out his boat for deep sea fishing.  He loved his time at his “Lake House” on Winnepesaukee.  He was an avid golfer until recently, played a mean game of Bridge with wonderful friends, and especially enjoyed lunch “with the boys” on Thursdays over the years.  He was a faithful member of the Church of Our Saviour in Milford where he served on the Vestry and on various committees over the years.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Church of Our Saviour.

      Due to Covid, services will be held at a later date.  Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford.  To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com

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