Mort Dennett
he did work in the Draper Main Office, but that was before I remember anything. At one point the town moved his office and allowed him to decorate it. I seem to recall that he was an interior decorator (or something similar) back before WWII. I remember the carpet he picked out was very colorful. Lots of reds and purples, I think. He was also an artist. He did oil painting. Mostly of flowers, I think, but there may have been a landscape or two in there. He was also good friends with Kevin White who was Secretary of the State when my grandfather was town clerk. When my grandfather passed away, Kevin, who was by then mayor of Boston, came to my grandfather's calling hours. I think he flew in by helicopter. Here's another memory. My grandparents always had a candy dish at their house filled with M&M's. Today that candy dish is at my parents and always filed with -- that's right -- M&M's. After my grandmother died, my grandfather always came to our house after church for Sunday dinner. Quite often my mother would make his favorite dessert, apple crisp. E-mail from Charlie Dennett, October 2003. When I was a kid in the 1950s, I remember going to Mort to get a dog license every year. Back then, there was no need for a full time town clerk, and Drapers certainly had no problem with town business being conducted in their office, so that's where I'd get the license. I'd go through the big doors, (the main door was on the Hopedale Street side of the building then) up the stairs and into the huge lobby. I'd speak to the receptionist who would send me over to Mr. Dennetts' area where he'd come up to the counter which was much like what you'd see at at bank. I think of it now as an indicator of Hopedale being a "company town," but I don't suppose I gave that any thought back then. To go to the dentist or the barber, I'd go to the town hall, but to see the town clerk, I'd go to the Draper Main Office. Dan Malloy, March 2007. Mort was the first president of the Hopedale Community Historical Society. Griffin-Dennett Apartments Memories Menu Street and Place Names HOME |
August 10, 1962 |
M. Russell Dennett, 90, of Hopedale passed away on Saturday June 17, 2017 at the Milford Regional Medical Center, Milford. He was the husband of Shirley (Whitney) Dennett. Mr. Dennett was an accountant and owned R & S Business Systems Inc. in Hopedale for the past 30 years. Russell had been employed at the Hopedale Coal & Ice Co. in Hopedale beginning in 1950 and later became President of the company. Mr. Dennett was born in Milford the son of the late Mortimer C. and Doris (Barnard) Dennett and had been a lifelong resident of Hopedale. He was a graduate of Hopedale High School Class of 1944 and Kents Hill School in Kents Hill, ME. He attended Northeastern University in Boston. Mr. Dennett was a U.S. Army Veteran of WW II serving in Central Europe. He was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. and Mrs. Dennett celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in Nov. 2016. Russell was a lifelong member of the First Congregational Church of Milford where he was a member of the choir, Church Treasurer for 27 years, a Deacon for many years and served on various committees within the church. He was a member of The Salvation Army Board of Advisors for more than 60 years. Mr. Dennett was a 50 year member of the Montgomery Lodge of Masons, AF & AM in Milford, a longtime member of the Milford Rotary Club and the Hopedale Country Club, Hopedale. He was one of the original board members serving on the Hopedale Housing Authority where he served for more than 25 years. Russell was on the Board of Trustees for the Hopedale Village Cemetery, Hopedale and was a Corporator for many years at the Milford Regional Medical Center, Milford. In addition to his wife Shirley, he is survived by three sons, Charles R. Dennett and his wife Katherine Hughes-Dennett of Rochester, NY, Robert W. and his wife Janice Dennett of Winthrop, ME and William S. and his wife Deborah Dennett of Milford, 5 grandchildren, Patrick Dennett, Steven Dennett, Eric Dennett, Mark Dennett and Jonathan Dennett and 6 great grandchildren, Molly, Sam, Andrew, Nolan, Cole and Teddy and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Rev. Robert B. Dennett. Visiting hours will be held on Wed. June 21, 2017 from 4-7 PM in the Buma Sargeant Funeral Home, 42 Congress St., Milford. Funeral services will be held on Thurs. June 22, 2017 at 11 AM in the First Congregational Church of Milford, 4 Congress St., Milford. Burial with Full Military Honors will follow in Hopedale Village Cemetery, Rt. 16, Hopedale. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Congregational Church of Milford, P.O. Box 344, Milford, MA 01757 or to The Salvation Army, 29 Congress Street. Milford Daily News, June 20, 2017 |