Obituaries

The Acton Exchange publishes obituaries of current and past residents of Acton, Massachusetts, and of people who have a connection to the town. For information, please consult our Obituary Policy.

Obituary: Paul Alfred Turner

January 31, 2026
by Family
Paul Alfred Turner passed away unexpectedly on January 13, 2026 in Acton, Mass. He was 68 years old. Paul was born in Boston on May 1, 1957 to Donald Frank Turner and Joan Pearson Turner. He spent most of his early years in Lexington, graduating from Curry College with a B.A. in…

Obituary: Janis Ossmann

January 27, 2026
by Family
Janis Louise Bestul Ossmann of Acton, Massachusetts died peacefully on January 23, 2026 following a year-long battle with cancer. She was 71 years old. Janis Louise Bestul was born in Washington, D.C. on June 15, 1954 to Alden Bestul, a scientist at the National Bureau of…

Obituary: Marvin D. Pope

January 24, 2026
by Family
Marvin Delford Pope of Acton, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 9, 2026, at the age of 93. Marvin was born in 1932 in Hill City, Minnesota, during the Great Depression. The son of Kenneth Frances Pope and Azalba Merle Stengel Pope, he grew up in a…

Obituary: Earl C. Van Horn, Jr.

January 21, 2026
by Family
Earl C. Van Horn, Jr., aged 86, of Acton, MA passed away peacefully at Tufts Medical Center on Jan. 15, 2026, with his step-children, Mark and Lia Spitzer, by his side. Earl was born on January 24, 1939 in Cincinnati, OH, to Earl Sr. and Agnes Van Horn. He grew up in Cincinnati…

Obituary: Carol Lake

January 10, 2026
by Family
Carol Lake of Acton, MA, passed away on December 6, 2025, at the age of 89. Carol was born on April 21, 1936, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Dorland and Wanda Taylor. She attended Connecticut College for Women. She married her life partner, Norman Lake, in 1958. After giving…

Obituary: Rosemary Szafran

December 27, 2025
by Family
Rosemary (Larkin) Szafran, 81, of Pembroke, formerly of Acton, MA, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025.  Rosemary was born and raised in Braintree, MA and graduated from Archbishop Williams High School. She continued her education at Stonehill College, graduating…

Obituary: James (“Jim”) Patrick Connolly

December 13, 2025
by Family
James Patrick Connolly passed away peacefully at Boston Medical Center on Nov. 20, 2025, with his nephews Sean and Timothy Connolly at his side. Born Feb. 27, 1936, to Michael and Margaret Connolly, Jim grew up in Waltham, where he graduated from Saint Mary’s High School in…

Obituary: Harriet Jean DiLuzio

December 10, 2025
by Family
Harriet Jean DiLuzio, age 79, of Acton, MA passed away on December 6, 2025, surrounded by friends and family at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, MA. She died from injuries caused by a tragic accident that occurred on December 3, 2025. Harriet was born in Springfield, Massachusetts…

Keith Karkane Obituary

November 15, 2025
by Family
On his 57th birthday, November 15, 2025, Keith David Karkane of Westminster, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends.  Born in Concord, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1968, to parents William and Dona Karkane, Keith was a man of exceptional…

Obituary: Richard W. “Dick” Brooke

October 18, 2025
by Family
Richard W. “Dick” Brooke, 90, passed away October 7, 2025, at his home in Boothbay, Maine after visits from his loving extended family. Dick was born and raised in Melrose, Massachusetts and graduated from Melrose High School. He attended M.I.T. and graduated in 1956…

Obituary: Robert S. Rhodes

October 18, 2025
by Family
Robert S. Rhodes, a longtime resident of Acton and retired sergeant of the Acton Police Department, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 15th. He was ninety-four years old. He was the cherished and beloved husband of the late Irene (Mariani) Rhodes to whom he was married…

Obituary: Allan David Gulliver, Jr.

September 13, 2025
by Family
Allan David Gulliver, Jr. (71) passed away on August 30 after a lengthy illness. He was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, the beloved first son of Allan Gulliver and Porter Jeanne (Hogan) Gulliver. He attended Greenwich parochial schools and graduated from Brunswick School.…

Obituary: William “Bill” Kingman, 94

July 26, 2025
by Family
William “Bill” Lockwood Kingman, 94, of Acton, MA, died quietly in his sleep on June 23, 2025. He was born on August 21, 1930 in Medford, MA to the late Henry Eugene Kingman and Helen Crandell Kingman. Bill grew up in Concord. He attended Middlesex School, Concord, MA class…

Obituary: Nancy Gerhardt

July 5, 2025
by Family
Nancy K. (Rasmussen) Gerhardt, a longtime resident of Acton, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2025. She was 95 years old. She was the beloved wife of the late Leslie H. Gerhardt, who passed away in 2009. Nancy was born in Mobridge, South Dakota, daughter of the late Alder and…

Obituary: Adam Richard Mitchell-Hardt

May 31, 2025
by Family
Adam Richard Mitchell-Hardt, 41, passed away amid the beauty of the Remutaka Cycle Trail in Masterson, NZ on May 3, 2025. A Celebration of life service will be held at First Parish in Concord, MA (20 Lexington Road) on June 14 at 2 p.m. EDT. Born on July 7, 1983 in Boston, MA,…

Obituary: Earl Mitchell Gogan

January 25, 2025
by Family
GOGAN, Earl Mitchell, of Sudbury, passed away on January 8, 2025. He died after an accidental fall near his home. He was 67. Earl, known as “Mitch,” was the son of the late Robert and Virginia M. Gogan. He is survived by his brother Robert Gogan Jr. and sister-in-law Frann S…

Obituary: Gloria Seraydarian Jacobs

November 2, 2024
by Family
Gloria Seraydarian Jacobs was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend. She left this world on October 19, 2024, at the age of 89. Gloria was born in Greenwich, CT, the daughter of Edward and Manik (Theopilian) Seraydarian. She was a Girl Scout,…

Obituary: John T. “Doc” McNiff

April 12, 2024
by Family
John T. “Doc” McNiff, of Hampton, NH formerly of Maynard and a retired Lieutenant of the Acton Police Department, passed away Wednesday April 3, 2024 at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester. He was 77 years old. He was the beloved husband of Christine…

Obituary: Sharon FitzSimons Cole

March 24, 2024
by Family
Sharon FitzSimons Cole, of Acton, passed away at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, March 15, 2024 at the age of 86. Born in Warren, PA to the late Sarah Helen (Gaston) and Ogden FitzSimons. Sharon was the beloved wife of the late Michael Bennett Cole, with whom she…

Obituary: Hongxiang (Harry) Chen 陈鸿祥

March 10, 2024
by Family
Following a more than 15-years battle with frontotemporal dementia, Hongxiang (Harry) Chen 陈鸿祥 of Acton, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at the age of 67. He was born on September 14, 1956 in Fuzhou,…