Mrs. Gertrude P. Meehan, a lifelong resident of Lawrence, passed away peacefully at her home in the arms of her son David on January 17, 2016.
She was the wife of the late James I. Meehan, who she was married to for 50 years. Gertrude was born in Lawrence to Peter and Mary (Moore) Ashe and closely nurtured by her aunts Gertrude and Katherine Kennedy of Lawrence.
Upon graduation from Lawrence High School, Gertrude attended Burdette College in Boston where she graduated with a degree in business.
She worked for the Selective Service until her marriage in 1944 to James I. Meehan. She would later work part time for the R.L. Tozier Company of Lawrence. She was Past President of the Lady Elks Lodge of Lawrence, and held multiple positions in St. Augustine’s Ladies Guild and various civic organizations throughout Greater Lawrence raising money for local charities.
A talented pianist and lover of music, she was a strong supporter of the Boston Lyric Opera and the Metropolitan Opera of New York. She fostered a love of the arts in her children and all that came to know her. She was an accomplished seamstress and interior decorator, taking great pride in her home.
She was an avid lover of books and animals, both of whom found comfort in her home.
She was a dedicated sportswoman belonging to the Merrimack Valley and Pine Valley Country Clubs, as well as several bowling leagues.
For decades, she was a member of the Granite State Wheelmen Club with whom she bicycled her way across Ireland, Austria, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia, as well as all the New England States. Her greatest bicycling achievement was accomplished at the age of 70 years old when she bicycled cross country from North Dakota to Vermont with the “Granite State Wheelmen”.
Her greatest joy was raising her three sons, Dennis, Phillip and David and providing a creative and loving home for them and her late husband James on Tower Hill in Lawrence. As a family, they would go on adventurous camping trips, inspired by Mom’s love of the outdoors.
She was predeceased by her siblings William Ashe, Peter Ashe, Irene Gagne, and Marian Taylor. She is survived by her three sons, James Dennis Meehan and his wife Sonja of Hurst, Texas, Phillip Meehan, of Henniker, NH, and David Meehan of Lawrence. Grandchildren Rachelle (Meehan) Aritua and her husband John of Hurst, Texas, Kim (Meehan) Morganti and her husband John of Rochester, NH, and Louisa Meehan, of Henniker NH.
Five great grandchildren and nieces Linda Taylor Arvanitis of Lawrence and Sharon (Blaney) Cooley, of Oregon; nephews J. Kenneth Taylor of Quincy, Michael Blaney of Kansas, and William Blaney of Colorado, along with several grand nephews and nieces.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to call on Thursday, January 21st, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 122 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, MA. Her funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, January 22nd, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Saint Augustine’s Chapel, 128 Ames Street, Lawrence, MA. Burial will follow in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Lawrence, MA
In Lieu of flowers donations may be made in Gertrude’s Memory to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844. (978) 687-7453.