John R. Law

01/21/2002

John Robert Law, 66, of 44 Bradford St. died yesterday at North Adams Regional Hospital, where he was admitted earlier in the day. Born in North Adams on Nov. 17, 1935, son of the late John A. and Evelyn Galipeau Law, he was a 1953 graduate of the former St. Joseph's High School, where he was president of the senior class and captain of the varsity basketball team. After high school, he spent a year as an apprentice electrician with the former Isbell Electric Co. In 1958, he joined the Army and served 18 months in France. After his discharge, he served four years in the Army Reserve. Mr. Law was employed by the city of North Adams for 38 years, retiring as wire inspector in 1992. He was a communicant of St. Francis' Church and a life member and past president of Greylock Community Club. He was a 30-year member of the North Adams Lions Club, serving as president from 1972 to 1973 and 1981 to 1982, and a member of the Frank R. Stiles Post 125 American Legion, the Vietnam Veterans of America Post 54, the Northern Berkshire Retired Men's Club and the Boston Cured Cancer Club. He received the Lion of the Year Award in 1984. Mr. Law was a former member of the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Arson Investigators, and a certified fire and ex-plosion investigator. He also was a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators and had been a fire investigator for the office of the state fire marshal since 1994. He also was a Berkshire County deputy sheriff for several years. Active in civic affairs, Mr. Law started the former "Trees for Toys" program with the city of Boston, which was active for 10 years. He also was active with the North Adams Chamber of Commerce during the 1960s to the '80s, and received the President's Award from the chamber in 1992. He was grand marshal of the Fall Foliage Parade in 1989. He and his wife, the former Dosalena "Debe" Benedetti Rhodes, were married May 17, 1985. Besides his wife, he leaves two stepsons, Dr. James Holden Rhodes of Placitas, N.M, and Richard Allen Rhodes of Bellingham, and five stepgrandchildren. The funeral will be Saturday, Jan. 26, at 10:15 from AUGE-SAN SOUCIE-SIMMONS FUNERAL HOME in North Adams, followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 11 in St. Francis of Assisi Church. Burial will follow in Southview Cemetery, North Adams. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Friday from 4 to 7. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary or the North Adams Lions Club, through the funeral home, 46 North Church St., North Adams, MA 01247.

Obituaries

Celebrating Lives & Legacies

John R. Law

Memorials