Edith O'Neil, at 96; enjoyed helping others
Correction: An obituary for Edith (Goodwin) O'Neil of Walpole that appeared in the June 11 edition of Globe South listed an incorrect name for the company where she worked. Mrs. O'Neil worked for Bird Co., a roofing business in East Walpole.
WALPOLE -- Edith (Goodwin) O'Neil , a volunteer for many organizations in the area, died June 2 at the Our Lady's Haven in Fairhaven . She was 96 .
Mrs. O'Neil was born in Norwood and was a lifelong resident of Walpole . She graduated from Walpole High School in 1926 .
She worked as a bookkeeper for Bird Co., a roofing business in East Walpole for 10 years before she married the late Christopher F. O'Neil in October 1938 .
``A very people-oriented person" is how her daughter, Edith Kelly of Needham , described Mrs. O'Neil. She volunteered for the American Red Cross , the Walpole Historical Society , the Walpole Council on Aging , and, until she was 90 , the Ellis Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Norwood.
``She wanted to be out helping others," her daughter said.
Mrs. O'Neil was also a member of the Legion of Mary doing in-home visits and was an election official for the town of Walpole, having served as a precinct warden, her daughter said. She said her mother was a determined and independent woman, who made sure she always found a way to be where she needed to be, even if that meant walking.
In addition to her daughter Edith, she leaves two other daughters, Mary Lorenzo of Fairhaven and Kathleen Hubert of Needham; two sons, Joseph of Needham and Christopher of Wrentham; a brother, Thomas Goodwin of Portland, Ore.; 17 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated June 6 in the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Walpole, with interment in St Francis Cemetery in Walpole.
Catherine Cushing, 82, former history teacher
HINGHAM -- Catherine (Martin) Cushing , a former history teacher, died June 5 at the Queen Anne Nursing Home in Hingham. She was 82.
Mrs. Cushing was born and raised in the Lenox Dale section of Lenox. She graduated from Lenox High School in 1941 , and earned her degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1945 . She had lived in Hingham for the last 46 years.
Mrs. Cushing worked as a history teacher both in Lenox and Hampton , N.H., before raising her family.
``She always taught in one form or another, whether it be formally as a teacher or privately as a mother," said her daughter, Katherine, of Hingham .
For several years during the early 1980s , Mrs. Cushing edited the personal papers of former US senator Leverett Saltonstall, according to her daughter. A spiritual woman, she was an active member of the Hingham Catholic Women's Club and one of the first Eucharistic ministers for St. Paul's Church in Hingham, she said. Mrs. Cushing also taught CCD for many years and was a member of the Memorial Bell Tower Committee .
``She was a forward thinker," said her daughter, adding her mother was a feminist before it became popular.
She was also an avid gardener, and enjoyed knitting, sewing, painting, and drawing. And she was a ``voracious reader," her daughter said. ``She never stopped learning."
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Cushing leaves another daughter, Margaret of Providence ; a son, Daniel of Dorchester; a sister, Genevieve Powers of Lenox Dale; and a granddaughter .
A funeral Mass was to be said June 9 in St. Paul's Church, Hingham.
Compiled by Amanda Carswell 
