Frederick Kearns
Frederick Kearns, 95 of Hudson, passed away on Sept. 16, 2022, at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack after a period of declining health. He was born on May 15, 1927, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Frederick and Hazel Kearns. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his sister, Arline, who passed away in 1928 at the age of 6 years old and our mom Mildred, who passed away on July 1, 2017.
He attended St. Mary of the Annunciation Elementary School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then high school at Rindge Technical High School in Cambridge, graduating on June 6, 1944. He also attended junior college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dad married our mom on Nov. 13, 1948.
He was a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, 26th Artillery from 1950-1953. He was stationed at Camp Drum in New York and was an excellent marksman. His rank was tech sergeant. Dad never liked to refer to himself as a veteran; however, on July 8 2022, dad was honored at a pinning ceremony for recognition of his service to our country.
He had quite a work career. During that time, he installed and trouble shot television sets, so he could fix any issues we had with our sets when we were kids. Some of the other companies he worked for were Lincoln Labs, Matrix, Sanders and Digital Equipment Corp., from which he retired. He was a communicant of St. John The Evangelist Church in Hudson for many years; especially finding comfort there after our mom passed away.
Dad was a lifelong rail fan. He could tell you about most past and present train lines throughout New England. Growing up in Cambridge, he rode the trollies in the older days when they were on tracks throughout Massachusetts, and was not very happy when those trollies went trackless. He visited many railyards while on vacations. He was an active member of the Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club until his passing, and would attend the Amherst Railway Society’s Railroad Hobby Show at the “Big E” in Springfield, Massachusetts, when he could. Sunday mornings you could find him trackside in Ayer, Massachusetts, with some of his other “trainiacs.”
He volunteered with The Suburbanettes Drum and Bugle Corps of Hudson when his daughters were members. He also volunteered at the food pantry at St. John’s Church in Hudson for many years.
Dad leaves behind us, his seven children, sons, Paul (Carol) of Milford, New Hampshire, and Stephen (Gloria) of Merrimack, New Hampshire, daughters, Jean Saytanides (Jim) of Milford, Katherine Jarry (Douglas) of Hudson, Carolyn Kearns of Tennessee, Ellen Parsons (Chris) of Texas and Arlene Boisvert (Ralph) of Nashua, New Hampshire.
He was Grampy to nine grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He also will be dearly missed by his cats, Spencer and Sneakers.
So, when you hear a train whistle in the distance, or see the gates down at a railroad crossing, think of our dad. We are sure he will be riding the rails.
Visiting hours will be on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, from 4-6 p.m. in the Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home in Hudson. A graveside service will be on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at 10 a.m. in St. Patrick Cemetery, 75 Derry Road in Hudson. All may meet at the cemetery. To share an online message of condolence, please visit www.dumontsullivan.com. THE DUMONT-SULLIVAN FUNERAL HOME IN HUDSON IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.