Submitted Content - Marblehead Current

21 Oct

Margaret (Peg) Bassion, 82

Submitted ContentObituaries

Margaret (Peg) Bassion died on Oct. 20, 2026, at the age of 82 surrounded by family and friends. She leaves behind her beloved husband Ken and her children Kirsten and Todd. She was married for 57 years to Dr. Kenneth Bassion; they lived in Marblehead for 52 of those years. She was born Margaret Anderson Stein in Albany, New York, in 1944 to parents Frank Stein and Viola Anderson Stein. She also had an older sister Barbara Smetana from Media, Pennsylvania. Peg lived a life…

20 Oct

OBITUARY: Mary Louise “Mary Lou” John (Kearns)

Submitted ContentObituaries

Mary Louise “Mary Lou” John (Kearns), of Gilford, New Hampshire, and Bonita Springs, Florida, passed away on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, following an aggressive but brief battle with cancer. Though her diagnosis came suddenly, she will be remembered for the life she built, the love she shared and the creativity and warmth she brought to those around her. Mary Lou was born on Oct. 4, 1950, at Salem Hospital to the late Anne and George Kearns. She grew up in Marblehead, alongside her beloved older…

19 Oct

OBITUARY: Georgia Templer Murray

Submitted ContentObituaries

After battling through a long illness, Georgia Templer Murray of Marblehead passed away on Sept. 1. Georgia was born in 1948 and raised in Newton by her wonderful mother, who absolutely adored her daughter. Georgia graduated from Boston University and began working at the Digital Corporation. In the 1970s, there were very few women in the computer field, but those women at Digital bonded together and ended up becoming lifelong friends. In 1973, Georgia met and married the love of her life, Richard Murray. Over…

19 Oct

LETTER: ‘Marblehead can do better’

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: I recently read the article about how our district performed on MCAS this year. I have been looking at these statistics for several years now, and sometimes we do better and sometimes we do worse. But what I find really frustrating is everyone’s reference to the scores in comparison to the average district in Massachusetts. In the past this has included comments from reporters, school committee members and the superintendents. I would like to understand why we are not comparing these scores…

19 Oct

LETTER: Why I’m voting ‘no’ on Question 3

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Our upcoming election includes ballot Question 3 to eliminate separate party primaries and, instead, have all candidates combined on one ballot; the top two vote-getters in the primary then advance to the general election. I'm open to revising our election process if it leads to fairer outcomes. If this question were about ranked choice voting, I'd be wholly in support. But I fear that jungle primaries, as non-party primaries are called, could lead to negative unintended consequences. Consider our recent primary election…

19 Oct

LETTER: How to honor Owen

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Owen Coyne’s family has much to be proud of in facing his tragic loss. Owen’s decision to donate his organs to others in need demonstrates the ultimate in generosity. My surgical career spanned four decades of training and practice. Among the moments I will never forget is the release of the arterial clamp during a kidney transplant. Instantaneously the gray organ pulsed red with life and function. Owen lives on in those recipients of his gifted organs. All of us can best…

19 Oct

OBITUARY: Tracey Ellen Murnane, 5

Submitted ContentObituaries

Tracey Ellen Murnane, 57, passed away peacefully on Oct. 12, 2026, at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. Born Dec. 19, 1968, Tracey lived with cerebral palsy and communicated in her own unmistakable way. She was known for her humor, spirited personality and playful flirtation. For most of her life, she was lovingly cared for by her grandparents, Nana and Bup, whose extraordinary devotion was a lasting example of unconditional love. Tracey was deeply loved by her entire family and by those at Bass…

19 Oct

Y shines a (blue) light on growing need for after-school care

Submitted ContentColumns, Opinion

By Brian Flynn, executive director of the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Licensed after-school programs managed by the Lynch/van Otterloo Y have grown by 65% over the past three years in response to the growing need for reliable childcare, reflecting a national conundrum posed by a lack of youth supervision during the post-school day, reports Brian Flynn, executive director. Nearly 475 young people are served by the Y’s after-school program at six schools in Marblehead and Swampscott. At the Swampscott Elementary School alone, 208 kids attend daily…

11 Oct

LETTER: Vote like Dr. Seuss

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Early voting for the general election starts Oct. 17. Below is an original "poem" encouraging voting in Massachusetts. It is formatted like a Dr. Seuss poem and is written to be read aloud. The Time Has Come The time is close.The day is nigh.Time to VOTE, VOTE, VOTEI don’t care why.You can vote for change.You can vote to stand pat.Your vote is election-poweredVoter feedback!In Massachusetts In 2-0-2-6John Q. Public Time to make your picks.You can vote in the primary The first of SeptemberAnd then in the…

11 Oct

OBITUARY: Joanne Hilda Evans, 90

Submitted ContentObituaries

Joanne Hilda Evans, 90, passed away peacefully on Aug. 25, 2026, in Lynn. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Samuel L. and Hilda Braas Evans and was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Joanne lived most of her adult life in Marblehead, where she shared more than 50 years with her dear friend, Johanna Young. The friendships she formed, the activities she enjoyed and the many memories she created in Marblehead were among the most cherished parts of…