Lillian F. (Finn) Stapleton

Lillian F. Stapleton, of Holyoke, died peacefully at home, on Saturday, surrounded by her family. Born in Holyoke on April 29, 1933, “Lil” was the daughter of James J. Finn and Lillian Griffin Finn. She was married to the late Atty. William F. Stapleton. Lil attended Sacred Heart School and graduated cum laude from Our Lady of the Elms College in 1954, where she was Senior Class President. In 1986, she returned to school to earn her Juris Doctor from Western New England School of Law and was sworn in to the Massachusetts Bar. Lil enjoyed a wonderful career and family life in Holyoke. She taught second and fourth grades in the Holyoke school system. Lil stayed home for 17 years to raise their four children before entering the workforce again. She was a manager of a Massachusetts Housing and Finance Agency apartment complex and the general manager of Lacasse Heating and Cooling Company. Lil served on the Board of Directors and Executive Board of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce; was a director of the Holyoke Visiting Nurse Association, a member of the Rotary Club, and a member of the Hampden County Bar Association. In 1986, she joined her husband Bill in the Stapleton Law practice. In 2004, she joined her son Attorney Edward Stapleton and brother-in-law Judge James J. Stapleton in the practice of Social Security disability law, retiring in 2015. Lil was predeceased by her husband William F. Stapleton, her sister Barbara Moriarty, and her sister Frances Delahanty. She is survived by her children, Laura Cantin and husband Kevin Cantin, William F. Stapleton, Jr., and wife Christine Murphy, Lisa Melanson and husband Jack Melanson, and Edward Stapleton; and grandchildren Finn Melanson and wife Julia Campenelli, Ned Melanson, and Amelia Melanson; and her brother-in-law James J. Stapleton and wife Louise, and nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday October 24 from 5:00 to 7:00pm in the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton Street, Holyoke and on Wednesday October 25 from 8:00 to 10:00am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30am in Saint Patrick Chapel of Saint Jerome Church, 169 Hampden Street. Burial will take place in Saint Jerome Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made in memory of Lil to: Continue Mission, 1002 West 900 South, Woods Cross, UT 84087 or https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DMHNYGGQA9WL8&ssrt=1697998525558.

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