Bradford – Colleen E. (Durette) Curtis, 68, wife of Charles A. Curtis, passed away November 26, 2021 at her home surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Haverhill, she was the daughter of the late Charles E. and Bernadette G. (McGowan) Durette. She was a lifelong resident of Haverhill, educated at the St. James Schools and was a graduate of Haverhill High School, Class of 1971. Colleen married the love of her life on September 22, 1974 and was married for over 47 years. She was a self-employed seamstress for many years. Her proficiency as a seamstress was well known throughout the community and she worked for many Haverhill businesses including E-Z Way Cleaners and the Classic Couple Bridal Shop. Baking was a lifelong passion, and no family birthday or special occasion was complete without one of Colleen’s cakes. Family was Colleen’s greatest joy, she loved doting on her beloved grandchildren and frequent family vacations to Walt Disney World. Colleen was a communicant of Sacred Hearts Church in Bradford. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother she will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
Colleen is survived by her husband Charles of Haverhill; daughter Jenifer Curtis of Haverhill; son Erik Curtis and his partner Melissa Carroll of Jamaica Plain; daughter Elysia Perron and her husband Bradley Perron of Haverhill; grandchildren Zachary Curtis, Max Curtis, McKenna Perron and Oliver Perron; siblings, Sharon Durette and her wife Patricia Sorenson of Georgetown; Charles Durette of Hampstead, NH; Kathleen Cote and her husband Russell of Hampstead, NH; John Durette and his wife Shelley of Haverhill; Monica Berridge and her husband Andrew of Kingston, NH; several nieces, nephews and close friends. She was predeceased by her parents, brother Timothy E. Durette and beloved aunt Mary J. McGowan.
Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend calling hours on Thursday, December 2 from 4:00PM until 7:00PM at the Kevin B. Comeau Funeral Home, 486 Main St., Haverhill. Funeral services will begin on Friday December 3, at 9:00AM in the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:00AM in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 South Main St., Haverhill. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery, Salem St., Bradford. Please visit Comeau Funeral Home on Facebook or www.comeaufuneral.com
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You can only imagine how many lives Claude Croston affected in his roles as teacher and coach. Here’s what he did for us. It only took him five minutes and one telephone call in 1989, but that conversation clearly was a pivotal point in our family history. It also tied together three random events. The first: Our twin daughters were good students at Melrose High School. During the college application process, they made a very-late-in-the-game decision to apply to Wake Forest—Claude’s alma mater. Because they hadn’t had an on-campus interview, they were wait-listed. The second: Donald Dunbar, a former curate at Trinity Church in Melrose, had formed an educational consulting firm. In a chance encounter (my wife, Stephanie, recognized him at a college counseling meeting at The Boston Globe. He asked about the girls’ college choices. After hearing their story, he said, “If you’d like my opinion, Wake Forest is about to take off and become one of the hottest universities in the country. I’d get on the phone to admissions tomorrow and see if you can push them to the top of the list.” The third: I knew that Claude had played football at Wake Forest back when it was in the tiny hamlet of Wake Forest, NC, before the university moved to Winston-Salem. The first thing the next morning I called Claude and explained the situation. He said, “Can you swing by my office sometime this week?” I was there within the hour. I’m sure he’d checked their records and with some teachers in the interim. “Come into my office,” he said. We chatted a few minutes as he made sure he had the situation accurately. “I’m going to make a call,” he said, “and I’m going to put myself on the line for them. The only thing you have to do is promise me they’ll enroll at Wake Forest when they get in.” That’s correct. He said “when they get in,” not if they get in. He then called Wake’s admissions department. I wish I could remember the conversation verbatim, but he identified himself as the MHS principal and gave his ties to Wake Forest, then explained how the girls came to be late applicants. Then he said, “These girls are as good as we produce ‘up here.’ If you don’t accept them, there’s no point in having our kids apply.” Their acceptance letters arrived within the week. Both girls had great undergrad experiences at Wake. To show how things come full circle, one now is the admissions director at the American School of Milan (Italy). All because Claude made time to make a phone call.
I learned of Ms. Curtis’ passing as a colleague of her son, Erik. In reading about her life’s story and her photo, she had a fulfilling life, great presence, and surrounded herself with people and hobbies that gave her comfort and joy. It’s never easy to lose a loved one, and particularly around the holidays, but my hope is that you use this time to grieve and to celebrate her life with family and friends. My condolences to all who knew and loved her.
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