NAHANT — Maureen Lombard Balsom devoted wife of the late Roy L. Balsom, loving mother of Meghan Balsom and Suzanne Rau, mother-in-law of Chris Rau, and grandmother of Jack Rau died peacefully at home Sunday morning surrounded by loved ones after a brief illness.
Born in Everett, she was the daughter of the late Christopher M. Lombard and the late Elizabeth M. (Sullivan) Lombard. She was raised in Nahant, graduated from St. Mary’s Girls High School, Class of 1954 and attended Hickox Secretarial School. She was a highly valued executive secretary at Compo Shoe Machinery Corp. of Waltham and office manager at American United Marine Corporation. Maureen also became a well respected legal secretary at the law firm of Conlon, Sampson, and Conlon.
Best known for her generous, kind-hearted and charitable nature, Maureen worked tirelessly for organizations dear to her heart, including the Infant of Prague Guild, the Shoemaker School Parent Teacher Association and as a dedicated catechist at St. Thomas Aquinas Church of Nahant and Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Lynnfield.
She will be remembered for the great love she had for her large extended family which drew the fun-loving and sometimes raucous crowd to her beloved annual holiday gatherings where she took great joy in their laughter and good cheer. With a contagious smile and helping hand for anyone in need, Maureen cherished her role as the Lombard family matriarch.
Maureen leaves her siblings Peter Lombard and his wife, Eileen of Swampscott, Richard Lombard, his wife, Bonnie, John Lombard and his wife, Mary Anne all of Nahant. She also leaves her beloved nieces and nephews Betsy Lombard, Mark Lombard, Paige Lombard, Sean Lombard, Kristen Taylor, Matthew Lombard, Carolyn Kopchains, Brandon Lombard and Britte Roossien. She was also the sister of the late Christopher M. Lombard, the late Matthew J. Lombard, the late Eileen “Babe” Lombard, and sister- in–law of the late Martha O’Neill Lombard, the late Patricia Brown Lombard, and the late Virginia Turner Lombard, and Judy Higgins Lombard.
Service information: Maureen’s funeral will be held on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, at 9 a.m. from the SOLIMINE Funeral Home, 67 Ocean St., (Rt. 1A) Lynn, followed by a funeral Mass in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Nahant at 10 a.m. Burial in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours are on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Caring for a Cure, MGH 55 Fruit St. Lunder 10, Boston, MA 02114 or Patient to Patient, BIDMC c/o Hester Hill Schnipper, Hematology Oncology Shapiro 9, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215. Directions and guestbook at Solimine.com.