Althea L. Marchegiani

Althea L. (King) Marchegiani, 91, died suddenly but peacefully at Heywood Hospital on Sunday, March 30, 2008. She was in the arms of her loving husband, Claude Marchegiani. Althea was born August 2, 1916 in Orange, MA at the home of her parents Louis and Gertrude (Chapin) King. She graduated from Orange High School in the class of 1934. She spent 2 years in Boston attending hairdressing school and worked as a stylist for a short while before her marriage. She met her husband, Claude, during high school when he played football at rival Athol High and they were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1938. They would have celebrated their 70th Anniversary this year. Claude and Althea soon moved to Gardner where they opened the City Market grocery store on Parker St. She worked there as a bookkeeper and helped Claude and his brother, Ray, run the market during its long, successful run of several decades when the downtown area of Gardner was a bustling, active community. She lived on Bancroft St. in Gardner most of her life until moving to Heywood Apartments 7 years ago. Althea was an avid seamstress and loved to sew clothes for herself, her daughters, granddaughters and Barbie dolls! She also loved reading, entertaining, knitting, home decorating and was a closet Martha Stewart before her time. She loved to travel and after retirement, she and Claude spent many winters in Ormond Beach, Florida and partial summers in Saratoga, NY. In recent years, she loved celebrating family occasions and holidays in the Boland Room at the Heywood Apartments. Althea will be sadly missed by her entire family. She is survived by two daughters: Claudine Reilly and her husband James of Millis, MA and Ruth Anne Nevard and her husband Robert of Gardner, 6 grandchildren: Erin Reilly Delaney and her husband Michael of Norwood, MA, Shannon Reilly Lanoue and her husband Timothy of Medway, MA, Scott Reilly and his wife Nadja of Walpole, MA, Erik Reilly and his wife Natalie of Walpole, MA, Mark Nevard and his wife Andrea of Fitchburg, MA and Mathew Nevard and his wife Allyson of Framingham, MA. Althea also had 12 great grandchildren listed in order of age from 8 years to 3 months old: TJ, Kelly, Christopher, Chiara, Annie, Donovan, Andrew, Michael, Isabella & Nico (twins), Molly and Benjamin. Althea was predeceased by 3 sisters Josephine Fellows of Orange, Leah Pillsbury of Concord, NH, Ruth Balcom of Grantsville, MD and 1 brother Louis King, Jr. of North Adams. She also leaves several nieces and nephews. Visiting hours are Thursday, April 3 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at the John H. Mack Funeral Home, 91 Vernon St., Gardner. The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, April 4th at 10:00 AM at Sacred Heart Church in Gardner with burial to follow at the Gethsemane Cemetery in Athol. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the scholarship annually given in her husband's honor, Claude Marchegiani Scholarship Fund , c/o Gardner Exchange Club, P.O .Box 645, Gardner, MA 01441 or the Levi Heywood Memorial Library, 55 West Lynde Street, Gardner, MA 01440 or may be left at the funeral home. The John H. Mack Funeral Home, 91 Vernon Street in directing the arrangements. $(document).ready(function(){ });