Annabelle P. Lucas

Annabelle Lucas, 92, an Erving resident passed at home surrounded by her daughter and friends on February 28 after a yearlong battle with Leukemia and heart disease. Annabelle, the daughter of Maryann Castonguay and Phillip Paradis, was baptized Marie Anna Belle Irene Paradis. However, her family and friends called her Ann or Annabelle.

She lived her early years in the "Patch" in Turners falls and then moved to Canada Hill in Greenfield where she, her siblings and neighbors played baseball, picked blueberries and slid down birch trees in the "buckwheat". She attended St. Ann's Parochial School in Turners and shortly after graduation from Greenfield High School, married the boy next door, Ernest Lucas, and had one daughter, Bernadette.

Annabelle was a loving and devoted mother and spent as much time as possible with her daughter instilling an adventurous spirit, a willingness to test the limits and to go where others have not. She and Peg Browning started a Cadette/Senior Girl Scout Troop and provided the girls with fun adventures, learning experiences, and opportunities they might not have otherwise had such as trips to Washington, DC and camping.

Annabelle attended Greenfield Community College and graduated with a secretarial degree. After graduation, she worked at UMASS Amherst as a secretary for 30 years where she made lifetime friends. After retirement Annabelle traveled, was an active participant at the Greenfield Y and Erving Senior Center. She loved volunteering at the Erving Public Library and working on their spring plant sale. Ann was a presence in town and was regularly seen at town meetings and walking her dog.

Annabelle will be most remembered for her quiet strength, determination, resilience, calm manner, compassion and unending generosity to others. What she enjoyed most was visiting family and friends and helping them when in need. She was a fabulous cook, and her Victorian Toffee, jams, fudge, pies, cakes, and other delectable treats will be missed.

Ann is predeceased by her husband, Ernest and siblings: Lorraine, Fredrick and Edmund and son-in-law, Bruce Georgian. She leaves her daughter and her grandsons and their families: Luke and Isabel Georgian and their sons Riley and Reese and Mark Georgian his wife Chandon and sons Conrad and Cyrus as well as siblings Rose Marie Steiha and Rene Paradis and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Annabelle's funeral will be held at the McCarthy Funeral Home, 36 Bank Row, Greenfield, MA on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 11:00AM. Rev. Fr. Stanley J. Aksamit, Pastor, of Our Lady of Peace Church will recite the Catholic Rite of Burial Service. Interment will be private at Annabelle's request. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Franklin County Sheriff's Regional Dog Shelter at 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls, MA 01376 (fcrdogkennel.org) or The Friends of the Erving Public Library C/O Becky Hubbard 2 Care Drive, Erving MA 01344.

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