Lisa Michelle (Polagruto) Novak, of Westborough, formerly of Natick, passed away surrounded by her loving family on October 30, 2010 after a long & courageous battle with ALS. She was 48 years old.
Born in Natick, the daughter of Ben "Benny" & the late Diane (Guarnieri) Polagruto of Natick, Lisa was raised & educated in Natick, attended Marian High School in Framingham, & graduated from Natick High School in 1979. For a number of years Lisa was employed in the food service department of the Walnut Hill School & Wellesley College. Lisa was very fond of animals, especially her cats as well nature and music. Always smiling and full of life, Lisa laughed easily and loved everyone. For Lisa, family was the most important part of her life and she always held them close to her heart.
Lisa was the beloved wife of Timothy A. Novak with whom she shared 18 years of marriage; cherished mother of Emily Diane; & the devoted sister of Daniel Polagruto of Bolton, Cathy Washburn & her husband David of Northborough, & John Polagruto & his wife Janice of Sacramento, CA. She was the daughter-in-law of Patricia Ward of W. Palm Beach, FL & the late Dr. Charles Novak; step-daughter-in-law of Andele Novak of Natick; sister-in-law of Bruce Novak of Gloucester, Randy Novak of Dedham, Todd Novak & his wife Amy of CO, Ryan Novak of Atlanta, GA, & Stephanie Deseza & her husband Michael of Natick. Lisa was the loving aunt of John, Kathryn, Giovanni, Gabriella, Lily, & Jack and is also survived by a host of loving aunts, uncles, & cousins.
Lisa's family wishes to express their eternal gratitude to the staff of Beaumont of Westborough, St. Patrick's Parish in Natick, the Rizzo Foundation, & the entire community that showed such love & compassion to them throughout her illness.
Relatives & friends are cordially invited to attend Lisa's funeral from the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park St. (at Natick Common) NATICK on Friday, Nov. 5, 2010 at 9:00 AM to be followed by her Mass of Christian Burial in St. Patrick's Church, Natick at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow in the Polagruto family lot in St. Patrick's Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held on Thurs. Nov. 4 from 3-7 PM. Lisa's family requests that those wishing to remember her may do so through memorial donations to the Emily Novak Scholarship Fund c/o Avidia Bank, 100 E. Main St. Westborough, MA 01581, the Natick Service Council, 2 Webster St. Natick, MA 01760 or to "In Your Shoes", P.O. Box 19, Westborough, MA 01581 (www.inyourshoeswestborough.com).