Jacqueline F. McGurren, 94 years, of Methuen, passed away on January 22, 2017 at the Cedarview Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Methuen.
Jacqueline was born in Lawrence, MA to her loving parents, Emile and Germaine (Petit) Morency. She attended Methuen schools and graduated from Edward F. Searles High School with the class of 1941. After high school, Jacqueline married William F. McGurren Jr. on July 12, 1944, with whom she celebrated 49 years of marriage until his death in 1993. In their early years Bill taught her to jitterbug and they danced the night away. She and her husband, who she referred to as “the funniest man I ever knew,” raised their family in their Methuen home, where Jacqueline continued to live independently until her passing. She was a devout communicant at St. Theresa’s Church, which was two doors away from their home. She lived a life that demonstrated her commitment to caring for others, measuring her life in love given and received. Jacqueline enjoyed a fulfilling and lengthy career as a receptionist for Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence from where she retired at age 87. She rejoiced in spending time with her family and touched many other lives, including those of her friends at Personal Touch Salon where she was a permanent fixture. Jacqueline was a gifted seamstress who used her talents to establish a lasting legacy through her quilts and personalized creations, many of which she donated to charitable organizations.
Jacqueline was a devoted mother to her four children: William F. McGurren, III and his wife Sandra of Atkinson, NH; Paul McGurren and his wife Carol of Lincolnville, ME; Cynthia McGurren of Marblehead, MA; and Thomas McGurren and his wife Catherine of Salisbury, MA. She was the loving grandmother to her eight grandchildren: William and his wife Dorothy, Matthew, Kelly, Jeffrey and his wife Jacqueline, Colby, Madison, Emma, and Clara, and was the doting great-grandmother to Jaxton. Additionally, she is survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Jacqueline was predeceased by her siblings: Phillip, Robert, Jean, Olivette, Constance, Fernande, and Andrea.
Visitation for Jacqueline will be held at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence Street, Methuen, MA on Thursday, January 26, 2017 from 4:00-7:00 PM. Friends and family are invited to attend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Theresa’s Church, 22 Plymouth Street, Methuen, MA on Friday, January 27, 2017 at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Elmwood Cemetery, 130 N. Lowell Street, Methuen, MA.
For directions or to send an online condolence, please visit http://www.pollardfuneralhome.com. Donations in Jacqueline’s memory can be made to: The Salem State Foundation/McGurren Family Scholarship, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970 (www.salemstate.edu/donate) or Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, 280 Merrimack Street, Suite 400, Lawrence, MA 01843 (www.esmv.org/give).
The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to serve the McGurren Family.