Gregory Dern, 57; headed task force
WEST NEWBURY -- Gregory C. Dern, a State Police lieutenant and drug enforcement officer, died April 25 at Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 57.
Mr. Dern was born and raised in Burlington. After graduating from Burlington High School, he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reconnaissance infantryman.
A Vietnam War veteran, he later earned a degree from Boston College.
Mr. Dern graduated from the State Police Academy as a member of the 61st Recruit Training Troop, and served with the law enforcement agency for 28 years.
He rose to the rank of lieutenant, working on major crime cases and narcotics cases.
He helped establish the Lynn Drug Task Force as one of the first state troopers assigned to work with the Lynn Police.
There, he was involved in what is believed to be the largest seizure of methaphetamine in Massachusetts last year, according to the Essex district attorney's office.
Most recently he was the commanding officer of the Essex County Drug Task Force in Lawrence.
Mr. Dern was the husband of Doreen M. (Polcari) for 27 years.
In addition to his wife, he leaves a daughter, Krista M. of West Newbury; his father, Harry, of Burlington; two brothers, Stephen of Burlington and Jeffrey of North Carolina; a sister, Carrie, of Woburn and a niece.
A funeral was held April 29 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Newburyport. Burial was in Bridge Street Cemetery, West Newbury.
Eleanor Gordon, civic activist, at 83
MARBLEHEAD -- Eleanor R. (Rafton) Gordon, a former president of the Marblehead League of Women Voters, died April 22 at Langdon Place in Nashua. She was 83.
Mrs. Gordon was born and raised in Boston. She earned a psychology degree from Smith College in 1945 and also pursued graduate work at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.
Mrs. Gordon served as president and board member of the Marblehead League of Women Voters, and as president of the Lynn Women of Rotary.
She was also a board member in the American Ethical Union, the International Humanist and Ethical Union, the Massachusetts League of Women Voters, and the Girls Club of Lynn.
She was the wife of the late Harold Gordon, who died in 1992.
Mrs. Gordon leaves a son, Alan, of Londonderry, N.H.; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were private.
Arthur Lovejoy Jr., 100, city councilor
MELROSE -- Arthur G. Lovejoy Jr., a former Malden city councilor, died April 23 at the Parkland Medical Center in Derry, N.H. He was 100.
Mr. Lovejoy was born and raised in Richmond, Maine. After graduating from Richmond High School, he attended Wentworth Institute and Northeastern University.
During World War II, Mr. Lovejoy worked as a district purchasing agent for the
Mr. Lovejoy was a councilor for Malden's Ward 5 from 1932 to 1933. He was a member of the Masons, the Congregational Church, and Bellevue Golf Club.
Mr. Lovejoy was the husband of the late Ethel F. (Lund).
He leaves four grandsons, one granddaughter, nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
A funeral service was held April 27 at the Robinson Funeral Home of Melrose. Burial was in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody.
Curtis Foster, 78, Polaroid executive
WENHAM -- Curtis M. Foster, a retired management executive of the Polaroid Corp., died of Parkinson's disease April 22 at the Renaissance Gardens assisted living facility in Silver Spring, Md. He was 78.
Mr. Foster was born in Beverly and graduated from Beverly High School in 1946. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1950 and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1952.
Mr. Foster served in the Air Force Reserve as a second lieutenant during the Korean War and was stationed in Dayton, Ohio.
His entire career was spent with the Polaroid Corp., where he was plant manager of the film division for many years.
Mr. Foster was a nationally and regionally ranked tennis player during 45 years in tournament play.
In his early 50s, he enjoyed running and completed several marathons.
He was the husband for 43 years of the late Ann (Antin), who died in 2003.
Mr. Curtis leaves one son, Lawrence of Paramus, N.J.; two daughters, Valerie A. of Bethesda, Md., and Marilyn Staubitz of Los Angeles; and six grandchildren.
A funeral was held April 27 at the Campbell-Lee, Moody, Russell Funeral Home, Beverly. Burial was private.
Compiled by Lisa Panora 
