Bertha J. (Pascucci) Glavin

 Bertha (Benedetta) Julia Glavin, 97, beloved wife of the late Martin E. Glavin, died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Thursday morning, April 11th , with her sons Matthew and Mitchell by her side. As the last of the nine children of Alfonso and Josephine Pascucci to depart from this life, she was preceded by her siblings Emilio (Harry) and his wife Bernadette, Vincent and his wife Thelma, Albert, Francis, Mary and her husband William, John, Alphonso, and Joseph. Together with her devoted husband Martin of sixty years, she leaves her adoring children, “the M-Squad”: Michael and his wife Eleanor, Martha and her husband Marcis Kempe, Martin and his wife Roberta Chinetti, Maria and her husband John Lyons of Dorchester, Matthew, Mark and his wife Patricia, and Mitchell. She was blessed with a dozen loving grandchildren: Curtis and his wife Sarah, Lucas and his wife Amy, David and his wife Danielle, John Patrick, Rosemary, Jennifer, Douglas, Julia, Samantha, Jacqueline, Victoria, and Alexander. Her long life bestowed on her further blessings in the births of four precious great-grandchildren: Elise, Georgette, Hollis, and Ethan. She was also a kindly aunt to her many dear nephews and nieces. She was the very heart of her family which was always the focus of her life, and by her many thoughtful kindnesses, she instructed us all in how showering love on others illuminated, here in this life, Christ’s charge to love one another.

She was born in June of 1926 at her home on Meeting House Hill in Dorchester. Her parents chose to name her Benedetta after her paternal grandmother, but the priest that performed her baptism made an executive decision to name her Bertha instead. She matriculated from the Mather School, America’s first free public school, in its tercentenary year. She went on to study at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School and was graduated early at the age of sixteen in 1943 to aid more quickly in the war effort. She was assigned to work immediately as a bookkeeper at the South Boston firm Loyal Manufacturing which made raincoats for the U.S. Navy, and then later at Corso & Gambino Fish Sales in the North End of Boston. With the births of so many children, she became a full-time homemaker who somehow managed to house, clothe, and feed nine people on one paycheck. She did it so well, in fact, that everyone remembers all of the holidays and milestones of these times as very happy years. Eventually, she returned to work as the Cafeteria Supervisor of the Mather School—a role which served her well, as her Italian heart always found great joy in the feeding of others. She served as President of the Mather’s Home and School Association and did much to enhance the school, including establishing a needed library. Many years later, she was recognized for such foresight when this library was named in her honor. On the occasion of the Mather’s 375th Anniversary of its founding, she climbed the pulpit of the nearby First Parish Church to regale its current students of her experiences there seventy-five years prior.

She would go on to take up many roles alongside her dearest husband Martin. She served as Secretary of the Dorchester Historical Society when he was its President, where they strived to make it a much more welcoming space for the community. They also worked together on Boston’s 1976 Bicentennial Committee, which included their meeting Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Boston. They enjoyed volunteering as tour guides at the Massachusetts State House, and they once served as co-chairpersons for the Dorchester Day Celebration. As adult learners, they enrolled in undergraduate courses at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, during which time she excelled academically to the point of earning induction into the Golden Key Society. Together they enjoyed singing in the choir alongside their daughter Martha at St. Agatha Church in Milton. As they were blessed with the arrival of more and more grandchildren, they relished being present for them at all their religious milestones, recitals, plays, sporting events, and graduations. Proud grandparents, they were always delighted to assist their children with raising the next generation. Nana and Papa’s home was a favorite and frequent destination for the grandchildren. Bertha and Martin were genuinely inseparable in everything and loved partaking in all of life’s experiences and joys within such a great marriage.

In her eighties, Bertha took on a whole new role. She was very proud of her older sister Mary who had worked as a welder at the Quincy Shipyard during World War II. When Bertha contacted the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA) to have them send her sister an honorary certificate, she learned that she, herself, was also a Rosie for her work during the war. She instituted the Bay State Chapter of ARRA, and through her work as President, she planned a number of events to honor the Rosies and to educate the next generation on the important role the Rosies played in WWII. For several years, she would go to Natick High School, where her grandson Lucas teaches AP U.S. History. She enjoyed interacting with his students as a living link to what they were studying. She was also invited to speak at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, at Battleship Cove in Fall River, and at Nickerson Post 382 in Squantum. In Quincy, she had five memorial dogwood trees planted at Merrymount, and rang bells for the annual “Ring a Bell for Rosies” nationwide event each Labor Day at the Church of the Presidents. She led the Bay State Chapter to ARRA’s national convention in Atlanta, and she later was honored along with several other women at the Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C. in appreciation for the critical contribution all Rosies made to the war effort. One year, she arranged to have her sister Mary and herself ride as Rosies in Quincy’s Flag Day Parade, and since she was a resident of Quincy, the parade organizers decided to elect her as that year’s Grand Marshal! Not long afterward, they were interviewed for an article featured on the front page of the Boston Globe. In an incredibly timely way, the very day before she passed away, she was happy to see on television how the US Congress had granted a Gold Medal to all of the millions of Rosies throughout the country.

Bertha suffered and miraculously survived four bouts of serious cancers beginning in 1975. It was at this time that she was extremely fortunate to acquire Dr. Nina Tolkoff-Rubin of MGH as her primary physician who remained so throughout all the years since. In each health challenge, Bertha kept her faith in God’s will, and went on to thrive with her love for her family and friends. When her beloved husband Martin died after sixty years of a holy marriage, she still found ways to soldier on and embrace the joys of her remarkable life that touched so many, and her love will abide forever. Even in her final years, she eagerly attended Sunday mass to receive communion and joyfully sing the hymns. Her voice and her faith remained strong throughout. In the words of Jesus: “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). She lived an abundant life, and she will be sorely missed by her loving family—her legacy. May she now rest in Eternal Peace in the loving arms of our Lord.

Visiting hours at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home 326 Granite Ave, Milton will be Thursday, April 18 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Funeral from the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home on Friday morning at 9:30 followed by a Celebration of Life Mass at St. Agatha Church, Milton at 10:30 am. Burial will follow at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to The Jimmy Fund in memory of Bertha J. Glavin to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via jimmyfund.org/gift.

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