Obituary of Alice Louise (Kriesen) Cassola

Alice Louise Cassola, 68, of Peabody passed away at her residence with her husband; daughters’ and her brother Jack by her side on Tuesday, December 19 after a year and a half battle with her illness. She was the devoted wife of Kenneth Cassola with whom they would have celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary next April. She was born in Cambridge, MA on August 2, 1949, the daughter of the late Francis and Gladys Margaret (Randall)( Kriesen) Rae. She was also the stepdaughter to her loving stepfather, Dana Rae. After moving from Cambridge; she resided in Beverly before moving to Peabody after her husband got out of the military years ago. Alice had been a School Bus Driver with Travel Time Bus Co. and then became a Foster Care Mother for many children during the past 20 years and still stayed in touch with most of her foster children. She loved sports and played Softball, basketball and volleyball and later helped formed the Peabody Girls softball programs. She had been a coach and also umpired and was the first woman official umpire of the USSSA Softball program in the North East. When her husband was in the Air Force; Alice also started a softball and basketball program on a couple of state sided bases. In her earlier years with her husband they enjoyed stock car racing and she entered in the Powder Puff Derby at the Pine Speedway. Alice was an amazing mom who loved her daughters and was very proud of all of their accomplishments; especially their greatest ones; her grandsons. She loved and cherished being their Nana. She was also like a second mom to many of her daughters’ friends over the years. If you were a friend of her daughters’; you were a friend of hers. She really enjoyed those same friends and family when she would host the many great cookouts in her backyard. At her request; she wanted you to all know that she will love and miss you all! Surviving her besides her husband Ken are her two daughters, Sandra Cassola-Plourde and her husband William and Cindy-Rae Olimpio and her husband John all of Peabody, her siblings, Robert Kriesen of Falmouth, MA, Francis “Cookie” Kriesen of , FL, Lawrence “Larry” Rae, also of FL, John “Jackie” Rae, Susan Rae-Baker and Cheri Rae Whitcomb all of Peabody, her 4 precious grandsons, William and Christian Plourde and C.J. and Andrew Olimpio and many nieces and nephews. She would like to thank the staff of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a thanks to her sister-in-law, Connie Akelian and her niece Laura Della Santa and also to Carol Vallone and Ed Halsted and Dr. Adler for their kindness and compassion extended to her and her family. A Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility from 2:00 until 5:00 PM with a Service at 5:00 PM. Relatives and friends are welcome. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Northeast Animal Shelter, 347 Highland Ave., Salem MA 01970 or to the MA Autism resources/ c/o Northeast Arc, 1 Southside Road, Danvers, MA 01923 in her memory. For guestbook and directions, visit www.ccbfuneral.com