School, one of her first jobs was working as a waitress at Friendly’s in Wellington Circle. Whenever Jackie Gleason would come to town to visit his pallie Frankie “Crazy Guggenheim” Fontaine, he would stop in to dine. She loved waiting on the “Great One,” as his tips were always generous. She then went to work in Boston’s Financial District as a secretary. One of her coworkers was Norma Bionelli, who introduced her brother and future husband Bob to her, and the rest, as they say, is history. Their fairy tale romance sadly ended in 1991 with Bob’s passing. John’s career path journey is long and storied with a stop working for the Boston-based band The Del Fuegos. One of his jobs with the band was storing their equipment when they got off tour. For convenience’s sake he would store it close to home in a storage facility on Eastern Ave. next to the PV Sports Shop. With just John making several trips up a freight elevator, he would have to leave thousands of dollars’ worth of band gear in the truck while making the trek up to the second floor. Not taking any chances with leaving the gear unattended and open to Malden’s more mischievous residents, he would recruit his mother to stay in the truck and keep watch on all those fine, expensive vintage guitars The Del Fuegos had in their stable. Marie protected the truck’s contents like a secret service agent, not letting even a guitar pick go missing. She was tough when she had THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 16, 2025 • I spotted 1980 Malden High to be, but she was also a softy – letting John at age 16 roadie for the Malden-based garage rock band Boys Life but not before a severe vetting of their manager Dave (Surette). Protecting young Johnny from Boston clubland was her first priority. She done good because John survived and thrived with flying colors. Throughout her life, Mrs. B was extremely supportive of her four children and absolutely adored her grand- and great-grandchildren – more than words could express on these pages. Marie was always excited to see my mother (Dorothy) riding her bike through the streets of Edgeworth. My moms would stop and the two would end up talking for what seemed like forever. Mrs. B would then go home and tell the kids how nice it was to have seen Dotty and how they chatted until it was time to make supper for all the kiddies. My brother David was a huge Mrs. B fan and would religiously bring her a red rose every Christmas Eve. Tradition for the Bionellis and Levines was important, and my brother David never missed an opportunity to show his love for her – his heart made of pure gold. For the last 20 or so years, Marie made 89 Pearl St. her home – a place filled with love, laughter and countless memories. Her presence touched everyone around her, and she will be deeply and forever missed by family and friends alike. Amen. It is said in “Malden Musings”... Everett Supplies Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Celebrating 66 Years in Business! •Vinyl Siding •Free Estimates •Carpentry Work •Fully Licensed •Decks •Roof ng • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! School graduate Paul Lussier in a Big Y commercial! For real! That made me very happy! Retired New Hampshire enforcement officer, musician, actor; there ain’t much that Paul hasn’t done and hasn’t done well. More on Paul in the very near future. I promise. • Ghost signs are rare in Malden. The oval Boston Leader plaque between Malden Family Dental and Hugh O’Neill’s on Pleasant Street and the gorgeous Gordon’s remnant that greets you warmly as you enter the M.A.T.V. studio (also on Pleasant Street) are excellent but, again, rare examples. None more spectacular than the Black’s Furniture old wall advertisement that is holding on for dear life on the side of the former City Hall building at 17 Pleasant St. (aka The Granada Theatre). Calling all historic minded volunteers of Malden. Bring it back to life! Get some paint, get the gang together and make this a mural that will rival Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” two blocks away. No, I don’t want to help paint it, just thought I’d throw the idea out there. LOL. • Who else caught the quick interview on CNBC Boston with MHS Class of ’77s Johnny Furlong about his basketball relationship with his former teammate at Salem State College, New York Knicks coach Tom “Thibs” Thibodeau? Good stuff, John. • Speaking of the Highland Café... one of the Highland’s more famous patrons was MalPage 7 den Peace Officer Walter Hook, who loved his Highland beef stew, was one of the arresting officers of the alleged Boston Strangler Albert DiSalvo and also contributed to humanity the iconic Highland Café logo that we all grew to know and love. I’ll fact check that last claim with former Highland CEO Dave “Sharpest Elbows on the Hoop Court” Angelo and get back at y’all ASAP. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – I don’t mention Malden Catholic nearly enough in my columns – but let’s set the record straight: It’s not by design. Some of my best MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 18 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Tuesdays & Wednesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s Scan & Follow Us on Facebook! www.810bargrille.com Spring is Here!
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