Mother of Harvard woman, active church member
Mabel Folkins. (Courtesy photo)
Mabel G. (Wheeler) Folkins, 92, of Shirley, Massachusetts, died Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, in the Health Alliance Leominster Hospital surrounded by her family.
She was born in Shirley on Aug. 23, 1925, a daughter of the late Jerome G. and Emily G. (Hunt) Wheeler, and was a lifelong resident of Shirley.
Mabel worked as a stitcher for the George Frost Company for 30 years, retiring in 1990.
She was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, where she sang in the choir, was a member of the prayer group and Ladies Sodality, formerly known as the Children of Mary. She cherished her times spent with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Her husband of 56 years, Roy L. Folkins, died in 2009. She leaves six daughters: Marie L. Weeks of Clinton, Dolores A. Guercio and her husband Lee “Chip,” Joanne E. Folkins, Susan G. Brand and her husband David, and Denise B. Leonardi and her husband Eric, all of Shirley; and Lisa G. Shaw and her husband Tony of Harvard; a sister, Dorothy Cardillo of Shirley; 13 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and several nephews and nieces.
In addition to her husband, she is predeceased by her two brothers, Lyle Wheeler and Robert Wheeler, her sister Georgianna “Lulu” Contois, and her son-in-law Richard L. Weeks.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at St. Anthony’s Church, Shirley. Burial was at the Center Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Shirley Historical Society, 182 Center Road, Shirley, MA 01464; Shirley Meeting House, 1 Brown Road, Shirley, MA 01464; or the National Kidney Foundation, 209 W Central St., Natick, MA 01760..
