Obituary of George Leroy Gonnella Sr.

George Leroy Gonnella Sr. 89, beloved husband of the late Janice E. (Mercurio) Gonnella, died Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford. Born in Chisholm, ME, he was the son of the late Leroy P. and Grace (Volpe) Gonnella. He received his education in the Jay, Maine school system. An honorably discharged veteran, he served his country during the Korean Conflict as a Seabee in the United States Navy. Mr. Gonnella had been employed for over twenty-five years by the Department of Labor and Industries for the State of Massachusetts until the time of his retirement in 1996. Prior to that he had worked as a carpenter for Volpe Construction and with his brothers in their carpentry business. A resident of Peabody for the past sixty years, he was a member of the former Cy Tenney Club in Peabody. George loved candlepin bowling in his younger years and every Thursday night he put on his bowling shirt & headed out to bowl with his friends & family. He was one of the top bowlers as he held the high single record of 187 (candlepin!) for many years. He loved all Boston sports, which he passed down to his children. He loved to play cribbage and would win most of the time when he played with his children and grandchildren. Playing cribbage with him wasn’t just playing a game, it was a special moment and family would line up to try and beat him on our family camping trips. He camped for 35 consecutive years on the Gonnella Family camping trip and earned the rank of “Mountain Climber”, the highest rank. He was a great carpenter, remodeling his home as Janice wanted, and his children’s homes and his extended family & friends’ homes. George always looked up to his older brother Bob, and when the 2 of them were working on a job, watching them work together was amazing and special to witness. Not many words were spoken, each knew what the other needed, and exactly what the next step in the process was. After retirement, George and Janice loved traveling with their family & friends. He and Janice were a match made in heaven and they were devoted to each other. When Janice fell ill in 2018, he stayed with her 10 hours a day 7 days a week without fail for 9 months. George was an amazing husband, dad, grandpa, sibling, uncle, and friend. He was an easy going guy, with a great sense of humor and loved by many and never, ever spoke a bad word about anyone. It is difficult to put into words what this man meant to the people who knew him. He enjoyed playing ball with his children and neighborhood children in the yard. He and Janice attended many of the games, graduations, plays and anything their grandchildren were involved in, they were the Jewels of his life. George’s proudest achievements were his children, grandchildren, and great-grandson. He will be missed by all who knew him. Surviving him are two daughters, Donna Knowles and her husband, David of Epping, NH and Karen Stein and her husband, Thomas of Tewksbury, a son, George L. Gonnella Jr. and his wife, Patricia of Pepperell, six grandchildren, Emily Spear and her husband, Derek, George Gonnella III, Sarah LaPointe, Tyler Stein and his wife, Kelly, Stephanie Gonnella and David Stein, a great grandson, Thatcher Spear, a sister, Ann Powers of Lynnfield, three brothers, Robert Gonnella of Kittery, ME, Anthony Gonnella of Apex, NC and Leroy Gonnella of Greensboro, NC and many nieces and nephews. He was also the grandfather of the late Michael LaPointe and brother of the late Virginia Miraglia. ARRANGEMENTS: His funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Adelaide’s Church, 708 Lowell St., Peabody, Friday, January 29, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Burial in the Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. All attendees are required to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines. The funeral mass will be video live streamed at https://www.saintadelaide.com for anyone unable to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452 or the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.