NATICK: Stella A. (Cavelowsky) Gelt, age 96, a longtime resident of Natick and enthusiastic traveler, died on Thursday, February 20, 2013, after a brief illness. She was the devoted wife of the late George M. Gelt.
Born, raised and educated in South Boston, she was a daughter of the late Francis and Ursula (Balchunis) Cavelowsky. She was a graduate of South Boston High School and was employed with Woolworths until her marriage in 1940.
The Gelts resided in South Boston and Dorchester prior to settling in Natick in 1958. Stella created a warm and caring home for her family and, as her children grew older, worked with the Natick Public School cafeteria staff. Following George’s death in 1980, Stella began to travel with family or friends on group tours. Some of her more memorable sojourns were visits to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Branson, MO, Rome, Italy and her ancestral country of Lithuania.
A gentle but courageous woman, Stella had a leg amputated at age 88 and took on the challenges of a handicapped life with grace, forbearance and determination. She continued to live at home, with the assistance of her next-door neighbors who had lived on either side of her for 55 years. She was an avid newspaper reader, a committed Jeopardy fan and a formidable Scrabble player.
She is survived by her a daughter, Mary Ann Mastro and her husband Frank of Lebanon; three sons, Joseph and his wife Betty Lou of Tucson, AZ, Thomas and his wife Dianne of Livermore, ME, and James and his wife Sandy of Tucson, AZ; five grandchildren, Ken, Jessica, Jason, Cassandra, and Katie; and her great-granddaughter, Cleo. She was also the sister of the late Mary Zidesky and John Cavelowsky.
Her funeral will be from the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, Natick, on Monday, Feb. 25th at 9:00a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint Patrick’s Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick at 10:00a.m. Burial will follow at Mount Benedict Cemetery, West Roxbury.
Visiting hours will be Sunday, 6 – 8p.m. Donations may be made in Stella’s memory to the Natick Senior Center, 117 East Central St, Natick, MA 01760.