Obituary of Rita A. (Lavoie) Bowen

Rita Angela (Lavoie) Bowen, 91, of Beverly died early Sunday morning at the Ledgewood Nursing Center, Beverly after a long illness. She was the wife of the late Joseph P. Bowen. She was born in Nashua, NH on February 28, 1914, the daughter of the late Henry J. and Margaret Ellen (O’ Brien) Lavoie and was raised and Educated there. She was first employed at the former Woolworth Store in Nashua where she met her husband who was the manager and later they resided in Calais, Maine, Mattapan, MA, West Warwick and Portsmouth, RI before moving to Peabody in 1957. She later moved to Beverly in 1971 and resided there for the past 34 years. She had been A clerk at the Lauriat’ s Store and later at Murray’ s Stationary Store at the Northshore Mall from 1959 until her retirement in 1986. While in Rhode Island, she was a member of the daughters of Isabel. She enjoyed baking and caring for her grandchildren and Great grandchildren. She is survived by 3 daughters and a son-in-law, Carol Ann and Francis L. Conway of Peabody, Elizabeth J. Betty Bowen of Beverly and Margaret Ellen Peggie Actis and her companion, Ralph Mazola of Danvers, 6 grandchildren, Philip F. Conway of Beverly, Kevin Conway and his wife Mary of Peabody and J. Christopher and his wife Ilene Conway of Lynnfield, Megan Bowen Conway of Atlanta, GA, Craig Joseph Actis of No Reading and Kerri Angela Actis of Worcester, 10 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Mary Mae Lind and Catherine Dion. Her funeral will be held on Thursday at 10:00 AM from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 12 Chestnut St., Peabody facility followed by a Funeral Mass in St. John the Evangelist Church, Beverly at 11:00 AM. Burial in St. Mary’ s Cemetery, Salem. Visiting hours on Wednesday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Hospice of the No Shore, 10 Elm St., Danvers, and Ma 01923 or to St. Jude’ s Children’ s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 in her memory.