Elizabeth M. Wells' Obituary
North Chelmsford – Elizabeth M. (Burke) Wells, 81 of North Chelmsford and a longtime resident of Lawrence passed away on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at Penacook Place in Haverhill. She was the beloved wife of the late Paul E. Wells.
Born in Lawrence on May 24, 1940, Beth was the daughter of the late Thomas J. and Isobel A. (Burke) Burke. She graduated from St. Mary High School in Lawrence, MA in 1957. She worked as a credit clerk at Massachusetts Electric for 35 years until her retirement. Beth was very active at St. John the Evangelist Church, in North Chelmsford in the Altar Guild and as a Eucharistic Minister. She was formerly a member of St. Mary Alumni Association. Beth enjoyed reading, traveling with the “Golden Girls” and her card friends, watching the Boston Red Sox and knitting, particularly the hundreds of Christmas stockings she handmade for family and friends.
Beth is survived by her stepdaughters, Susan Wells and her husband, Lee Murray of New Hampshire and Linda Bohannon and her husband, Ron of Florida, her stepson, Steven Wells of Virginia; her brother, David J. Burke and his wife, Kathy of Methuen; grandchildren, Jennifer Lynch and her partner Dan, Jessica Palmer and her husband Max, Lindsay Harris, and Kyle Russell; great-grandchildren, Jessica (Lynch) Busa, Jim and Jaimie Lynch, and Hanna, Kayla, Cole, and Lincoln Palmer; her sister-in-law, Evelyn Burke of Salisbury; and several nieces, Kelley Sullivan, Bridget Burke, Isobel Gioia, and her nephew Davey Burke; her Aunt Lana Sholik, many cousins and great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition, Beth leaves her oldest and dearest friend of 68 years, Roberta Silke; her very special little friends who have grown up before her eyes: Matthew, Kailyn, and Nolan Smith and their parents Doug and Crystal and Patricia Wyld, her good neighbor. She was predeceased by her twin brother, Attorney Thomas J. Burke, her stepdaughter, Paula J. (Harris) Price and grandson, Zane P. Wells.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Beth’s life on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. John the Evangelist Parish, 115 Middlesex Street, North Chelmsford, MA. All guests are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. There will be no procession from the funeral home. Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, face masks will be required in the church. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift in Elizabeth's memory can be made to Central Catholic Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o CCHS Office of Institutional Advancement, 300 Hampshire Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 or online at: www.centralcatholic.net/support-cchs/giving (The present name of her cherished St. Mary High School). For directions or to send an online condolence, please visit www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to serve the Wells and Burke families.
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