Skip to content ↓

Obituaries

ANDREA NICHOLS

Andrea Nichols, shutdown coordinator in facilities, died May 20 after collapsing at work. She was 64. Nichols started her career at MIT in the Planning Office. She joined the repair and maintenance staff in 1996. She is survived by her mother, of Arizona, and her sister, Marsha Breiteneicher of East Braintree. Memorial donations may be made to: Animal Hospital, 300 Broadway, Route 1, North Saugus, MA 01906 or an animal shelter of your choice.

EDWARD E. HUNT

Edward E. Hunt, an engineer at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory for 18 years, died May 13 at his home in Northborough, Mass., after a long illness. He was 83. He retired in 1984. He leaves his wife of 59 years, Esther M. (Prada) Hunt; three sons, Daniel, James and David; a sister, Louise Waldron; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He was predeceased by his son Geoffrey.

THOMAS E. SHEPHERD JR.

Thomas E. Shepherd Jr., former associate director of the Physical Plant (now called the Department of Facilities), died May 7 in Wayland from complications of Parkinson's disease. The Weston resident was 78. He was an MIT employee for 25 years, retiring in 1993. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Beverly (Hastings) Shepherd; a daughter, Deborah; a son, David; four grandchildren; a sister, Jeanne Carroll; and a brother, Robert. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 25, at 11 a.m. in the Episcopal Parish of the Messiah, 1900 Commonwealth Ave., Auburndale, Mass. Donations may be made to the Parkinson's Research Fun, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology, c/o Dr. John Growden, 15 Parkman St., Suite 830, Boston, MA 02114.

WALTER VECCHIA

Water Vecchia, a retired project manager at Lincoln Laboratory, died April 15 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74. He was hired in 1952 and retired 46 years later. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Matilda (DeMartino) Vecchia, of Saugus, and three daughters: Marie-Elena DeLuca, who also works at Lincoln Lab, Janine Leach and Cynthia Doucette. Memorial donations may be made to Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Fund, Development Office, 165 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02114.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 1, 2005 (download PDF).

Related Topics

More MIT News