Obituary of Dorothy L. (Hughes) L'Abbe

Dorothy L. "Dottie" (Hughes) L'Abbe, 82, of Peabody, died peacefully Tuesday evening, April 27, 2010, at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. She was the beloved wife of the late Rene F. L'Abbe, with whom she shared 55 wonderful years of marriage. Born in Salem on June 19, 1927, she was the daughter of the late John and Bessie (Brennan) Hughes, who emigrated from Ireland. Dottie was the sister to seven siblings, mother of three, grandmother of seven and great grandmother to one. She was raised and educated in Salem, graduating in 1945 from Salem High School. She resided in Peabody for the last 60 years. Dottie was employed for many years at Varian in Beverly as a switchboard operator, and also worked in the same capacity at GTE Sylvania and the Salem Telephone Company. Dottie was a member of St. John the Baptist Church. She enjoyed crocheting, reading and getting together with her friends, "The Club Kids". She and her husband traveled extensively in their RV and loved snowmobiling and boating. They loved vacationing at Thompson Lake in Maine where they made many lifelong friends. Dottie dearly loved her family, people, having fun, traveling to Foxwoods, and was an avid Patriots and Red Sox fan. She will be well remembered by everyone as an extremely giving person. Dottie is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Bill Farinelli of Danvers; two sons and their spouses, Bill and Kathy L'Abbe of Beverly, and Eddie and Ginny L'Abbe of Peabody. She was "Nana" to her grandchildren, Christina and Joe Morello, Matthew and David Farinelli, Laura, Sandra, Jessica and Rebecca L'Abbe; one great granddaughter, Mariana Rene Morello; one brother, Jack Hughes of Salem and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Mary L'Italien, Eleanor Conway, Elizabeth Claveau, Anna Burgess, Bill and Bobby Hughes. Her funeral will be held on Monday, May 3, 2010 at 9 a.m. from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 16 Church St., Peabody. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours are Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 4 to 8 p.m. Burial in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty St., Danvers, MA 01923.