Edward J. Gifford, Sr.
....Retired from Raytheon; 78
TEWKSBURY - Edward J. Gifford, Sr., 78, died Saturday, May 23, at his Tewksbury home, surrounded by his family after a lengthy illness. He was the beloved husband of Barbara E. (Tacy) Gifford, R.N. with whom he celebrated his 55th wedding anniversary this past January 16th.
He was born in Boston on January 3, 1931, a son of the late Frederick and the late Elizabeth Theresa (McCarthy) Gifford, and was the last surviving son of thirteen children. He was raised in Chelsea, and lived in Winthrop and East Boston before moving to Tewksbury in 1955. He was a graduate of Lowell Technological Institute currently known as U-Mass Lowell.
He was a veteran of the United States Air Force, and had served during the Korean War as a Radio-Communications Instructor. He worked as an electronic engineer at Raytheon at Apple Hill in Tewksbury prior to his retirement.
He contributed to the reorganization of Little League in Tewksbury and coached during the sixties. He was a boating and fishing enthusiast, and a life member of the Pleasant Park Yacht Club in Winthrop.
Besides his wife, Barbara, he is survived by a son, David M. Gifford of Tewksbury; two daughters and a son-in-law; Carol A. Gifford of Medford, and Tacy E. and her husband Thomas Corbett of New Boston, NH, and their three children, Thomas, Alannah, and Aidan Corbett.
He was also the father of the late Edward Gifford, Jr.
His Funeral Mass was celebrated Friday, May 29, in St. William Church, Tewksbury. Burial followed at St. Mary Cemetery. Memorials to Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Lawrence, MA 01843, will be appreciated.