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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 30, 2021 Page 13 MALDEN: TODAY | FROM PAGE 6 took him to see him perform at the old Boston Arena that autumn day in 1954 when Jack was 12. He was flattered that I was inspired by him, and that I so deftly incorporated some of his flamboyance into my act. But he was confused by Jack’s reaction when he got home that night from the concert and ripped up all his pictures. Jack told him, “It’s complicated.” “Mother Mahalia” (Jackson) blushed upon meeting Jack for the first time. She smiled and told him how much she enjoyed his performances, especially during his Shipwreck Lounge days. But she did chastise him for one night at the Shipwreck and a profanity-laced rendition of “In the Upper Room” barking out insanely about “the celestial starship” taking him to the “upper room” where all earthly and otherwise delights awaited him. She did apologize, though, for never sending him a letter of thanks for the portrait he had drawn of her which hung in her foyer for many years. She reminds Jack each day after a heartfelt discussion that “without a song, each day would be a century.” Best part of the day, he tells me. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character “Columbo” would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – I write this little ode to John Lincoln Coughlin with love of course. I respected and admired the man. As for his faith, it was unshakeable; on the road to find out since forever. I can personally attest to that. Everything above has some basis in fact. Clara Ward did sign for him after a performance, and as much as I tried to persuade Jack to gift the signature to me, he held onto it even in death. Jack’s portrait of Mahalia did hang in her foyer. Jack was reading an interview in 1965 with her from Look Magazine and noticed it displayed in the background. True story. Jack fell in love with Hank Sr. aka Luke the Drifter Christmas morning 1957 and never looked back. The Liberace photos actually were destroyed. And as Jack also once explained to me, it was indeed “complicated.” In Jack’s later years, I was privileged to have spent an inordinate amount of time with him as his manager/babysitter/confidant. Don’t get me wrong, there were many cringeworthy moments, but for the most part I considered myself lucky to have been part of and present to so many brilliant performances. I sincerely hope that Jack’s lifelong quest for the truth and his lifelong quest for peace of mind (which he never achieved above ground) came to fruition. Retired Fire Captain Hubert Otis Matheny, Jr. 66, died July 20, 2021, after a battle with cancer, his wife and sister by his side. Burt was born July 3, 1955 in Malden to Hubert Otis Matheny, Jr. and Diane Kathleen Slade (Matheny) (Bedell). He grew up in Malden, graduated from Malden High School in 1974. After graduation he joined the USAF as a firefighter from 1975 to 1979. In 1976 he married Aliceann Wright; they were happily married for 45 years. After discharge from the Air force, he moved to NH and became a firefighter at Durham/UNH where he rose up in the ranks to shift captain until 2008. He worked parttime at Toys R Us until 2016. Burt volunteered at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH for 25 years. He leaves behind His brother Gary Matheny (Lilian) and mother of Gary's children Gunilla Matheny; sisters Margo Kneeland (Kevin); Gloria Matheny-Eren; sister-in-law Cynthia Haggerty (Brian). Several nieces OBITUARIES and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother and husband Paul Bedell; father Hubert and stepmother Lela Matheny; grandparents Edward Slade and Beatrice Peterson who were very important figures in Burt's life. Burt's greatest pleasure in life was being with his wife Alice. He cared deeply for his siblings, nephews and nieces, great-nieces and nephews and best friends Paul Howes and Rick Miller, but was never able to spend the time he wanted to with them or show them how much they meant to him. Burt will be cremated. At this time there are no plans for a service, though a remembrance may be held in the future. Burt requests that if anyone wishes to do something in his memory to please give a donation to the Seacoast Science Center at Rye, NH, a very special place to him. Regina Margaret Cahill Moriconi Passed away at home on July 26, 2021 surrounded by her loving family. She was 75 years old. Born in Everett, Regina lived in Malden before settling in Wilmington. She worked as an OR Manager in a hospital for many years. Regina leaves her beloved husband of 40 years, Dennis S. Moriconi. She was the loving mother of Christopher Moriconi of Peabody, Matthew Moriconi and his wife Lisa of Pittsburgh, PA, Megan Lewis and her husband David of Tewksbury and the late Dennis Moriconi Jr. Regina was the dear sister of Mary Panczyk and her husband Michael, Becky Relph and her husband Sam, James Cahill and his wife Judith and the late William G. Cahill. She was the sister-in-law of Donna Carbone and her husband Sam, Kathy Moriconi, Michael Tischetta and the late John and Joseph Moriconi. Regina was the cherished grandmother of Dennis Moriconi III and his wife Hailey, Christopher Moriconi, Joelle Moriconi, Addison and Cooper Moriconi and Patrick and Isabel Lewis and the great-grandmother of Dennis S. Moriconi IV. She was also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews. The funeral will be held from the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main Street, Malden on Saturday, July 31 at 9:30am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in Sacred Hearts Church, 297 Main Street, Malden at 10:30am. Relatives and ~ Legal Notice ~ MALDEN HOUSING AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT MHA #165056 The Malden Housing Authority, the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from Contractors for Window and Door Replacements at the Springdale Elderly Development, 667-2 for the Malden Housing Authority in Malden, Massachusetts, in accordance with the documents prepared by Blackstone Block Architects. The Project consists of: Window and Door Replacement at the Springdale Elderly Development, 667-2. The work is estimated to cost $286,000 Bids are subject to M.G.L. c.149 §44A-J & to minimum wage rates as required by M.G.L. c.149 §§26 to 27H inclusive. General bidders must be certified by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) in the category of General Building Construction. General Bids will be received until 12:30 noon, Thursday, August 24, 2021 and publicly opened, forthwith. This project is being Electronically Bid (E-Bid). All bids shall be submitted online at www.Projectdog.com. Hard copy bids will not be accepted by the Awarding Authority. E-Bid tutorials and instructions are available within the specifications and online at www.Projectdog.com. For assistance, call Projectdog, Inc at (978)499-9014, M-F 8:30AM-5PM. General bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than five (5%) of the greatest possible bid amount (considering all alternates), and made payable to the Malden Housing Authority. Bid forms and contract documents will be available at www.Projectdog.com or for pick-up at: Projectdog, Inc, 18 Graf Road, Suite 8 Newburyport, MA 978-499-9014 (M - F 8:30AM - 5PM). Go to www.Projectdog.com and login with an existing account or click Sign Up to register for free. Enter Project Code 845247 in the project locator box. Select “Acquire Documents” to download documents, review a hard copy at Projectdog’s physical location, or request a free project CD. General bidders must agree to contract with minority and women business enterprises as certified by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO), formerly known as SOMWBA. The combined participation benchmark reserved for such enterprises shall not be less than 10.4% of the final contract price including accepted alternates. Request for waivers must be sent to DHCD (david.mcclave@mass.gov) 5 calendar days prior to the General Bid date if the work is estimated to cost less than $500,000 OR 10 calendar days prior to the General Bid date if the work is estimated to cost $500,000 or more – NO WAIVERS WILL BE GRANTED AFTER THE BID DATE. See Contract Documents - Article 3 of the Instructions to Bidders. The job site and/or existing buildings will be available for inspection 9:00 – 10:00 AM, Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at the Springdale Elderly Development 667-2 located on Springdale Street, Malden, MA. For a separate appointment, call Edward Fahey, Modernization Director at 781-322-3184. July 30, 2021 friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held at the funeral home on Friday, July 30 from 4-8pm. Committal prayers will be at Forest Dale Cemetery, Malden. In lieu of flowers, donations in Regina’s memory may be made to Smile Train at https://www.smiletrain.org or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN, 38105 or https://www.stjude.org. Mindel “Mindy” (Spigel) Levine 85, of Danvers, formerly of Malden. Entered Eternal Rest July 22, 2021. Mrs. Levine was co-owner of Larry Levine’s Kosher Meat Market. Beloved wife of the late Laurence “Larry” Levine. Devoted mother of Renee Schecker, Allen & Joann Levine and Todd & Simone Levine. Cherished grandmother of Adam & Arielle Levine, Jenna Levine, Hillary Levine, Allison Levine, Justin Schecker and Sarah Schecker. Proud great grandmother of Hallie Levine. Loving sister-in-law of Irving Levine. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be donated to Temple Ner Tamid, PeaOBITUARIES| SEE PAGE 18

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