Contarino, Bernice V. (Page) 83, of Lawrence, died on Thursday, February 14th, 2013 at her daughter’s home after a lengthy illness. She was born in Lawrence on April 26, 1929, the youngest daughter of the late Henry W. and Blanche M. (Gardner) Page.
She attended the Lawrence school system and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1946 and from the McIntosh Business School. She was briefly employed at Grieco Bros. in Lawrence before beginning her long career at the Internal Revenue Service retiring in 1986 after 30 years of service.
Bernice loved to play golf. She especially enjoyed the course at her timeshare getaway in the Lakes Region of Ashland, NH. The sport of tennis was her second passion. Her other great pleasure was spending time at the beach. She would sit for hours at the jetty at the Salisbury Beach Reservation. She also had a great enthusiasm for shopping and dining out.
The widow of Sebastian ‘Eddie’ Contarino, she is survived by her daughters, Cynthia L. Shannon of Methuen and Christine A. Torresi and her husband, James, of Methuen; her grandchildren Nanette Shannon, Noah Shannon, Noel Shannon, Christine Shannon, Alexandra Torresi and Nicholas Torresi; great-grandchildren Tristan, Justin, Elijah, Nicholas, Jeremy, Jordan, Jared and Cecilia. She is also survived by her nephew, Scott Stewart and his wife, Charlene, of Haverhill and her great-niece, Faith Page Stewart. She also had several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and many very special friends. Bernice was predeceased by her sister, Doris E. Stewart and her loving friend and companion, Manuel J. Santos.
Arrangements: Relatives and friends are kindly invited to join us in a celebration of her life at a mass scheduled on Friday, February 22nd at 10:00 a.m. at Corpus Christi Parish in Lawrence. A private graveside service will be held in the spring. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimack Street, Lawrence, MA 01843. On-line condolences to her family may be made at www.lawlerfuneralhome.com.