Herbert W. Church, 94
Dateline: Norton, MA
Herbert W. Church, age 94, of Norton passed away on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at the Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, following an illness. He was the beloved husband of Ruth (Johnson) Church, to whom he was wed for seventy years.
Born in Brockton, MA on February 12, 1927, he was a loving son of the late William and Madeline (Burrill) Church and was raised in Bridgewater.
At the age of 17, he enlisted in the US Navy during WWII and was assigned to the Landing Ship Tank (LST) 240 as a Quartermaster Third Class, serving in the Pacific Theater. His ship operated in the area of the Mariana Islands, delivering men and supplies which were instrumental in securing the islands of Tinian and Saipan.
After being discharged, herb worked at the Jenkins Scrap Paper Company of Bridgewater and then attended Burdette Business School of Boston and worked the summer at Hunting Motors in Falmouth.
Upon graduation in 1950, Mr. Church found employment with the Hercules Power Company in Mansfield and then with Bird and Son of East Walpole, where he worked for 31 years in the position of Cost Accountant, Office Manager and Purchasing Agent. When that company downsized, he found employment with the Cambridge Research Laboratory, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and with Ortho Diagnostics for 6 years until his retirement in 1989, after which he worked part time as a bookkeeper for Midway Garage in Norton until full retirement in 1999.
Herb was a member of the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Norton, serving as a Deacon for 6 years, and the King David Lodge of Taunton. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 222 of Norton and garnered numerous awards for his duty and work in the organization. He also retained memberships in the VFW Post 8049 of Norton, Voiture 1280 in the Forty and Eight of Northern Bristol County and the National LST Association and its Massachusetts Chapter. He was the past president and director of the Neponset Credit Union for Bird and Son and spent 7 years as the Finance Treasurer of the Norton Housing Authority.
Herb will be truly missed by his family and friends and his kitty Tommie, whom he was very fond of and loved laying in his lap.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his devoted son Bruce W. Church of Norton, he was the dear brother of the late Doris Pratti and Donald Church, and is also survived by his loving nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend his funeral service on Thursday, February 25th at 12:00 P.M. at the Norton Memorial Funeral Home, 19 Clapp St. (Off Route 140, Taunton Avenue) Norton. Burial with military honors will follow at the Norton Common Cemetery in Norton.
Visitation will take place on Thursday morning, prior to the services, beginning at 11:00 A.M. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, Herbert’s family has requested that donations in his memory be made to Nine Lives of Norton, P.O. Box 548, Norton, MA 02766, the Community VNA, 10 Emory St., Attleboro, MA 02703 or the Trinitarian Congregational Church, P.O. Box 2068, Norton, MA 02766.
To send his family a message of condolence, please visit www.nortonmemorial.com