Shirley Rawson

Beloved Shirley (Brunelle) Rawson, at age 88, succumbed to Alzheimer’s, which she had been battling for years.  She died Friday, April 24, 2020, in Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with her family by her side.  Those not there held her in their hearts with love.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Richard H. Rawson, Jr.  Her seven children survive her, Sharon Hopkins and her husband Robert, Richard T. Rawson Sr. and his wife Laudiane, Cheryl Fantasia and her husband Anthony, Brian Rawson and his wife Nancy, Shirley George and her husband Anthony, Martin Rawson and his wife Amy and Denise Grasseschi; her grandchildren, Erin and Stephanie Boylan, Richard and Igo Rawson, Anthony, Michael and Matthew Fantasia, Christopher Charest, Paige and Gavin Rawson, Dominic and Zachary Grasseschi; five great-grandchildren and one due in June; six brothers, Paul, Elliot, Stephen, Francis, Lawrence and Chester Brunelle; five sisters, Muriel Johnson, Janis Morin, Blossom Laverdure, Beulah Benoit, and Doris Miller and many wonderful nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by a son, Henry E. Rawson; three grandsons, Edward and Aaron Rawson and Joseph Grasseschi; three sisters, Evelyn Bray, June LaMalva, and Joyce Foley and a brother, Gary Brunelle.

Shirley was born, December 14, 1931, in Worcester, Massachusetts, daughter to the late Henry & Muriel (Rafuse) Brunelle.  She attended Worcester Public Schools and has lived in Worcester all her life.

Shirley had a love of music and dance from an early age that continued throughout her life.  She loved her family and being a mother the most.  Her love for her children and grandchildren knew no bounds, and she loved to spoil all her grandchildren with attention and love.

We will miss our beautiful and sweet mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and sister. We cherish her memory, and her example of a beautiful, simple, and honest life well lived.

If you feel so inclined to honor Shirley’s memory, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.com). A public service will be planned after COVID-19 subsides.   MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation St., Worcester is assisting the family with arrangements. To share your thoughts and memories of Shirley, please visit her guestbook at www.mercadantefuneral.com.