Obituary of Valentyna "Val" (Sedlar) Shaimas

Valentyna “Val” (Sedlar) Shaimas, 90, wife of the late Francis J. Shaimas, Jr., died on November 2, 2010 at the Wakefield Care and Rehabilitation Center in Wakefield. Val was born in Russia on May 21, 1920, daughter of Tehon and Lena (Opalchuk) Sedlar. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1922, making their home in Peabody. She was raised in Peabody and graduated from Peabody High School Class of 1938. Val was a member of St. John the Baptist Ladies’ Sodality, the Holy Rosary Society of St. Joseph’s Church, and a Lioness of Peabody. She was also an avid bowler, phenomenal cook, and loved being by the ocean. As such, she was a loving mother and grandmother who devoted her life to creating a home for her family. Val is survived by daughter and caregiver, Geraldine Massoudi and her husband Akbar of Woburn, daughter Maryellen Rodriguez of Boca Raton, FL; son Francis J. “Tiny” Shaimas, Jr. and his wife Teresa of No. Andover; 9 grandchildren, Miguel, Andres, Eddie, Chris, Jason, Annmarie, Colleen, Natasha and Arian; several great grandchildren; 2 nieces, Carol Ann Flood of Agawam and Vera Di Pietro of Haverhill, and many other nieces and nephews. Her son Edwin Paul Shaimas and her siblings Nellie Barry, Alice Harris, Mary Barile, Lydia Dempsey and Sally Worobey predeceased her. Val’s funeral will be held on Friday, November 5, 2010 at 8 a.m. from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn Street, Peabody followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 16 Church Street, Peabody. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours are Thursday, November 4, 2010 from 5 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in the name of Valentyna Shaimas to Schepens Eye Research Institute, www.schepens.harvard.edu , 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114. Burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem.