Samuel Chafetz, 94, of 109 South Flagg St. died on Thursday, February 16th in St. Vincent Hospital after being stricken ill.He was the beloved husband of 73 years of Lillian Ruth (Goldstein) Chafetz; loving father of Joanne Kaufman and Bruce Bolton of Natick and the late Phyllis LeBlanc, beloved father-in-law of Jerry LeBlanc and brother-in-law of Sylvia Goldstein; adoring grandfather of Heidi and her husband Steve Robinson, Karen Throckmorton, David Hersh, Alyssa Lambert and her husband Rich, Jennifer Rothbart and her husband Mitch; doting great grandfather of Ben Levy and his wife Amanda and Jessica, Joshua, Hayli, Jacob, Michaela, Matthew, Erica, Jack, Amanda, Max and Rachel, many nieces and nephews, his wife’s caretakers Rebecca and Effie and many dear friends.

He graduated Classical High School in 1935 and Clark University in 1939. After retiring in 1978, he returned to Clark University and received a Masters degree in 1981.

He was the founder, and with his wife Lillian, owned and operated Kiddie Kastle, the Deb Shop and Brothers Too, all in Worcester. He was founder and President of North American Alloy Company. He was founder and President of Phyl-Jo Realty and President of the Millbury Street Merchants Association for 14 years. He was past President of Probus Club and was the first President of Merchants in Common, a group of children’s shop owners along the East coast.

He was an ardent jogger, skier, sailor and tennis player.

He was a member of the YMCA and the Holden Tennis Club. He and his wife were extensive travelers. He was a member of International Service Corp of Retired Executives and he volunteered to serve in Egypt, Honduras and in Israel as a business consultant.

He volunteered as a Patient Representative at UMass Memorial Healthcare. He volunteered as a Counselor for SCORE for over 25 years. He was instrumental in founding the book store at Univ. of Massachusetts Medical School. He was actively involved in Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE) and was President an a member of the 70 Plus Ski Club.

He was a member of Temple Emanuel, the Jewish Healthcare Center and the Level Lodge of Masons.

He was an Army Veteran of World War II.

He was a member of the Worcester Art Museum.

He led groups to India, France, Austria, England, Italy and to other countries for the Wise Institute.

At age 92, in his first attempt at acting, he was in the musical “Oliver” at the Hanover Theatre.

In his first attempt at sailboat racing, he came in fourth in the Figaui Race between Hyannis and Nantucket, which included over 200 boats.

He won the Senior Doubles Tournament Championship in 1981 at Kings Grant Tennis Club in Cotuit, MA.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 AM on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH in TEMPLE EMANUEL, 280 MAY ST., under the direction of Richard Perlman of Brezniak Rodman Funeral Home of Newton. Burial will be in B’Nai Brith Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice .

Memorial Observance will beheld through Monday Evening, February 20th at his residence at 109 South Flagg St

John Allan Cantor, of Los Angeles, California, passed away at his home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, on February 11, 2011. Surrounded by his family and loved ones, John succumbed to cancer after bravely battling the disease for almost three years. Born into the Jewish faith on July 13, 1951, John also practiced Buddhist mediation. While John loved and respected his Jewish background, he took a great deal of joy from the study of Tibetan Buddhism, and that practice helped him through a difficult passing.

John had a long, successful career in healthcare and hospital administration, contributing to the development of many programs and projects that benefitted physicians and patients. His career of almost 30 years took place in New York City, as well as Worcester.

John was a lover of all forms of outdoor adventure. He surfed on both coasts, as well as in Costa Rica. John also had the opportunity to run the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon on two occasions. He was a passionate lover of jazz and popular music, especially the forms of jazz played in the 1920s and 1930s. This love of the music led to a weekly radio program, “Jazz Standard Time”, that John hosted on Saturday mornings for radio station WCUW in Worcester.

Ironically, at the very time of John’s passing, his daughter qualified for participation in a national speech competition. John’s love of his daughter, his strength of character, and his pride in her wonderful accomplishment, helped him remain present and clear during his final days.

Barbara Cantor, John’s sister-in-law, noted, “Here’s another of John’s trademarks: He was one of the most “even keel” people I ever met. In 31 years I NEVER heard John raise his voice, go off on anyone or lose his cool. He was soft spoken in a very gentle way, but his words were powerful.”

John leaves his beloved wife, Greta, daughter, Alexis, his brother, Mark, and a large number of relatives and close friends who will miss his wisdom, presence, compassion and wonderful sense of humor. Special mention should be made of his sense of humor, which seemed to come out of nowhere, funny and occasionally profound at the same time, and with him until the very end.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, February 19, in Temple Sinai at 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, under the direction of Richard Perlman, Funeral Director of Brezniak Rodman Funeral Home of Newton.

At John’s request, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Sakya Center, P.O. Box 391042, Cambridge, MA 02140, or Chokhor Gepel Ling/Tsawa Monks, 3536 McLaughlin Avenue, Los Angeles, California.