Jennie Sunderland

Jennie Sunderland, 94, died peacefully on June 1, 2015 in Venice, Florida. Her daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter were at her bedside when she passed. Over the last three years she spent time in Houston, Texas, Venice, Florida, and her hometown Gardner, Massachusetts. She will be missed by her family and friends in Gardner as well as the new friends she made in Florida and Texas. People who knew Jennie marveled at her humor, keen mind, and spirit. She loved to be around people. Her 94th birthday party this past April was a prime example of her love for friends and family. Jennie was born on April 18, 1921 in Gardner, Massachusetts. She was one of eight children born to Joseph and Caroline Hojnowski. She is survived by her daughter Kathy Ruark and her husband, Graham, a son Michael Sunderland and his wife Deborah, four granddaughters Erin Sunderland, Jennifer Sunderland, Megan Suokko, and Wendy Hess, and one grandson, Michael Ruark, and two great grandchildren Riley and Dawson Hess. She is survived by a sister Theresa DiVirgilio and a brother Theodore Chojnowski, his wife Pauline, and many nieces and nephews. Her husband John T. Sunderland died in 1985. She was predeceased by her son Barry, brothers Frank Hodges, Edward Hojnowski, and Leon Hojnowski and sisters Sally Bouffard and Mary MacIntosh. A longtime resident of Gardner, she graduated from Gardner High School in 1938. She worked for Bell Telephone, New England Telephone, and retired from Verizon. She also worked for many years as the telephone operator and main office receptionist for Heywood Wakefield. Jennie enjoyed dancing with her husband at any party and many local dance halls. She played golf for many years at the Gardner Municipal Golf Course and was a mainstay in the candlepin Senior League at the Bowlaway, bowling well into her eighties. Jennie enjoyed traveling in Europe with her daughter, Kathy, and friends. She went on several cruises to the Caribbean, Central America, and Hawaii. She was an avid knitter and made sweaters, baby clothes, blankets and many other knitted items. She loved to read and even had her own Kindle. She liked doing word finds and other brain teaser puzzles. She enjoyed playing bingo in Westminster and Venice, Florida. She saved up her pennies and coins for several trips to the casinos in Connecticut. She enjoyed watching her granddaughters and great grandchildren as they played sports and participated in other activities. She was an active, caring, and loving sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend who enjoyed life to its fullest. A memorial service and mass will be held at Holy Spirit Church on Saturday, July 25 at 10 AM. Burial will follow the service at St. John’s Cemetery. A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at the Gardner American Legion located at 22 Elm Street following the internment. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. The address is 11 Oakmont Drive Ashburnham, MA 01430.