Regina E. Thomas
Longtime Tewksbury Resident
Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister and Aunt; 77
TEWKSBURY – Regina E. (Lauretano) Thomas, 77 of Tewksbury, passed away at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington on November 10, 2009 of complications from open heart surgery. She was born in Everett, MA on November 22, 1931; she was the daughter of the late Nicolo (Nicholas) Lauretano and the late Regina (Troisi) Lauretano. She was predeceased by her sister Carmela (Millie) Diamond, her five brothers, Sambino, Adolf, Alfred, Mario and Ferdinand (Sonny) Lauretano. She was the widow of the late Kenneth J. Thomas who died in 2000.
Regina is survived by a daughter and son-in-law Regina and Scott Rich of Dracut, three grandchildren, Aria, Brendan and Jonathan Rich of Dracut, Her loving sister, Clorinda Saragosa of Medford and sister-in-law, Virginia Abbott of Tewksbury. She also leaves her beloved niece and godchild, Patricia (Tricia) Morneault of Tewksbury who assisted Regina's family as a health-care advocate and several other nieces and nephews and many dear friends. In particular her dear friends of many years, Gloria Fabiano, Betty Mackey, Kay Regolino and John Tramonte.
Regina excelled in basketball and volleyball at Medford High School, graduating in 1950. After graduation, she worked for Conrad’s in downtown Boston until she and her husband moved to Tewksbury in 1955. On November 8, 1952, she married the love of her life, Ken of whom she said after he passed away, “When you’ve had the best, what else is there?” She worked for 16 years at her brother’s flower shop on Mystic Avenue in Medford as a floral designer and later worked for Mackey Associates, Instrumentation Labs and Avco.
She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, especially her three grandchildren whom she cherished and spent many fun times with them vacationing in Ogunquit, ME and entertaining them and their friends at her beautifully landscaped in-ground pool. Regina loved to cook and her vast recipe collection spanned over 50 years. She was an accomplished chef and her creative desserts and fabulous entrees became tradition for her family and friends. She also loved to garden and extended her love of gardening with her handmade ribbon roses which became her signature along with her elegant handwriting and distinct gift wrap designs. A lover of animals she collected Panda Teddy Bears which were also in her favorite colors of black and white.
Regina battled a number of serious and difficult health issues and bravely confronted all of them. She was a thoughtful, warm, kind, and generous person who was funny and entertaining to be around. Known for her forthrightness, she often said, “I tell it like it is.” She was a truly good person; much loved, and will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
Calling hours Sunday, Nov. 15th, from 4-8 p.m. at the Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, 16 Lee St., Tewksbury. Her funeral will be held Monday, Nov. 16th, at 7:45 a.m. from the funeral home, followed by her Funeral Mass at 9 a.m. at St. Francis Church, 115 Wheeler Rd., Dracut. The family suggests those attending the funeral on Monday to proceed directly to the church. Interment will follow at Tewksbury Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, 100 St. Jude St., P.O. Box 985, Boulder City, NV 89005-0985.