Registered nurse, devoted mother
Gloria Ann (Baravella) Brackett, 78, of Bowers Road, Harvard, passed away peacefully on Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. She is survived by her husband, Charles, and her 13 children: Cynthia Brackett Mahoney and Miriam Brackett of Harvard; Kirsten Brackett Perry (Joseph Brideau) of Fitchburg; Fr. Christopher Brackett, LC, stationed in Cheshire, Conn.; Gregory Brackett (Tessa Lawrence) of Lincoln; Br. Peter Brackett, MICM, and Br. Anthony Brackett, MICM, of Still River; Daniel Brackett (Rachel Wilde) of Lunenburg; Maria Brackett, consecrated member of Regnum Christi stationed in Monterrey, Mexico; Martha Brackett (Marc Frushell) of Gardner; Fr. Matthew Brackett, LC, stationed in Rome, Italy; Joseph Brackett of Leominster; Grace Brackett (Fernando Gallegos) of Chicago, Ill. She is also survived by her foster daughter, Elise Gedansky of Boston, 21 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her siblings, John Baravella, Anthony Baravella, Sr., and Maria Cordata, MICM, and by her grandson, Nicholas Perry.
Gloria was born in Boston to the late Primo and Eugenia (Valenti) Baravella. She attended Catherine Laboure School of Nursing at the Carney Hospital in Boston, receiving her RN. She then attended Boston College and received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She worked as a community health nurse in South Boston, at a polio hospital in Dorchester, and as a nurse for kidney transplant patients at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
Gloria married Charles Frederick Brackett Sept. 28, 1957. She died five days before their 56th wedding anniversary.
She led an active life, driven by the need to keep track of thirteen children of all shapes and sizes. In spare moments, she took time to reach out, offer help, and spread her enthusiasm for living through her Catholic faith. She added to her life a constant flow of faith-based activities, from being a leader in the La Leche League of Boston and working with her husband Charlie on Pre Cana teams in the Archdiocese of Boston, specializing in Catholic principles of family life. To add spice to her life she tried to catch all the garage sales in the area and took in all the stray and farm animals the family could handle. She had a special knack for collecting antiques and other rare items, with a keen eye for a good deal.
An open house will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Brackett home, 17 Bowers Rd, Harvard. A Requiem Mass will be celebrated in the extraordinary rite on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 9 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church, 80 Union St., Clinton. Burial will follow at Bellevue Cemetery in Harvard. Refreshments will be served at the Brackett home following the burial.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Benedict Center, P.O. Box 1000, Still River, MA 01467 or to the Legionaries of Christ, 475 Oak Avenue, Cheshire, CT 06410. Funeral arrangements are by the Philbin-Comeau Funeral Home, 176 Water St., Clinton.
