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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 3, 2025 Page 21 OBITUARIES Grace L. (Puleo) DeFranzo A ge 91 of Salem, beloved wife of the late Joseph A. DeFranzo passed away on Christmas Day, 2024, after a brief illness. Born on December 3, 1933, daughter of the late Charles and Mary (Mattera) Puleo. She was born and raised in Salem and was a graduate of Salem High School in 1951. In 1953 she received a degree in from Chandler School for Women in Boston. One day while working at Puleo’s Dairy Bar Grace was asked for a date by a customer named Joe. It was then that they began their love story. Joe and Grace were married for 68 years, blessed with fi ve daughters and their lifelong home they built in 1957. Grace began her working years at MGH in Boston as a programmer for research studies collaborating with many fellows from Europe and the Boston area. Focused on her marriage and family she left MGH to work evenings in the record room at Salem Hospital GARDENS | FROM PAGE 17 one in some cases, and usually some leaves begin to develop around the same time. Once the fl owers fade, the stalk can be cut off – it contains a lot of moisture so you may want to carry it upside down to the compost pile to keep it from dripping on the fl oor. In order to keep the bulb alive for fl owers next year, the potted bulb and its leaves need to be kept in a window to get sunlight at least until late spring when the weather is warm. By that time the leaves will be very long – it can be kept in the window all summer or put outside to allow the leaves to soak up sunlight. If this does not happen, fl ower buds cannot develop. Once the leaves fade in fall, the bulb can be kept in the dark for six weeks or so (it needs to be kept indoors since it for over thirty-one years. As family obligations took over, Grace left her evening work to become an administrator at Salem Therapy Center and followed by Sports Therapy. She was proud of her Italian heritage and loved cooking the recipes that her mother taught her with her own fl air. Grace and Joe looked forward to their yearly vacations on Cape Cod and Fort Myers Beach as well as trips to Aruba with their friends. Grace and Joe were deeply religious and active members of St. Mary’s Italian Church in Salem. They served on the Beano committee, the parish council and conducted Pre-Cana classes for married couples. Grace exemplifi ed love and determination in her life. Against the recommendation of doctors, she was selfl essly committed to caring for their special needs daughter, Jody. This was in addition to caring for her four other daughters and working evenings at Salem Hospital. Grace was also the volunteer chairperson for the Easter Seals swimming program for children with disabilities. At the age of sixteen, Jody was diagnosed with cancer and passed away at the age of seventeen in 1985. Another heartbreak she endured was when her daughter Maureen was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and later passed away in 2001. The strength to persevere was the cornerstone of Grace’s life. Grace spent the last year of her life at The Current assisted living facility in Beverly. She was a favorite of the staff members as they cannot survive our cold weather outdoors). I don’t usually make a great effort to get the buds to open on Christmas, since it is even more enjoyable to have fl owers opening in late January or February, when the festive mood may have begun to wear off . After a minimum of six weeks of dormancy, you can check the bulbs for new buds, at which point they should be brought into a sunny window and watered as the cycle begins again. At this point I have eight or nine amaryllis bulbs summered over, and most of them can be expected to bloom sometime this winter. It is diffi cult to determine exactly when they will bloom – some may obligingly bloom in December, while others may not show signs of life until January or March, or even occasionally April. Last year I had a white one bloom at Easter, and the fi - were all won over by her humor and smile. She was lovingly cared for by all the nurses, caregivers, and staff in her fi nal days. Grace is survived by her daughters Debra Orloff and her husband Gary of Swampscott, Sharon Cody of Danvers, Brenda Schutz and her husband Adam of West Newbury and son-in-law Michael Cooney of Amesbury. Her eight grandchildren Danielle (Orloff ) Bettano and her husband Nick, Stephanie Orloff , Michele Cody, Alexander Cody, Ryan Cooney and his wife Kate, and Erin (Cooney) Davis and her husband Tom, Isabel Schutz, Oliver Schutz and three great grandchildren, Sophia Bettano, Hunter Bettano and Cameron Davis. She was sister to Elizabeth DeGrazia of East Freetown, Charlotte Puleo Alimenti of Salem, and Chuck Puleo of Beverly. She was predeceased by her husband Joseph DeFranzo and two beautiful daughters Jody Michele DeFranzo and Maureen Beth (DeFranzo) Cooney with which she will be eternally reunited. Grace’s family would like to thank the staff at The Current Beverly and Care Dimensions Danvers for their compassionate and loving care provided for Grace. Visiting Hours will be at Murphy Funeral home, 85 Federal Street, Salem, MA on Saturday, January 4th from 9am-10:30am with the funeral service to follow. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan Street, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA. Please visit www.murphyfuneralhome.com for more information and the online guestbook. nal blossom did not open until May! But these pretty fl owers are not strictly associated with a single holiday and are welcome whenever they decide to fl ower. I have several in a dark box that I check every now and then (if there is no green showing they don’t need to be watered), and once green buds appear at the top of a bulb that pot comes out of the box and into a bright location and starts to get regular water again. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design, plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is a member of the Saugus Garden Club and off ered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town” shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was inspired after seeing so many people taking up walking. Leonard A. Maes O f Saugus, at the age of 74. Passed away on Sunday, December 22nd peacefully at home surrounded by family after a lengthy illness. He was the beloved husband of Kathleen (O’Hearn) Maes with whom he shared 48 years of marriage. Born in Lynn and a lifelong resident of Saugus, Mr. Maes was the son of the late Richard and Marie (Bonin) Maes. Lenny attended Saugus High School and after high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam. Upon discharge, Lenny attended and graduated from East Coast Aero Tech and worked at the G.E. in Lynn in the Aircraft division before venturing into carpentry and construction, having many talents and building his own home. Lenny enjoyed music and gardening, and he was very proud of his military service. In addition to his wife, Lenny leaves behind his three children, Christopher Maes and his wife Khena of Long Beach, CA, Melissa Maes and her partner Randy of Haverhill and Jonathan Maes of Saugus and four grandchildren, Sam, Juliette, Eli and Emma. He was the loving brother of Charles Maes and his wife Mary Ellen Gil, Stephen Maes and his wife Candace, Judy Mooney and her husband Alan. He also leaves behind his sisters-in-law, Carol Brown, Teda Maes and Pat O’Hearn; brother-in-law, Bob O’Hearn and his wife Rhonda; dear family friend, Joseph Rotondo; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews. In lieu of fl owers, donations in his memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital @ stjude.org. SERVICE INFORMATION Relatives and friends are invited to attend an hour of visitation in the Bisbee-Porcella Funeral Home, 549 Lincoln Ave., SAUGUS on Monday (12/30) from 11 a.m. – noon followed by a funeral service in the funeral home at noon. For directions & condolences go to www.BisbeePorcella.com. ~ Help Wanted ~ Event Coordinator. Plan & execute events incl. logistics, sponsorships, budgets, & marketing. Secure partnerships & deliver creative, high-quality experiences. Req. 4 yrs of exp. in event planning or rel. field. Req. fluent Brazilian Portuguese, written & spoken. $62,800.00/yr. 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