Paul grew up in Lowell and is a 1993 graduate of Lowell Catholic High School. After marrying Jennifer Lebaropoulos in 2002, they settled in their first home in Dracut.
Paul joined the staff of Blake Funeral Home in 2004 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Funeral Institute of the Northeast in 2007, receiving his Funeral Directors License that same year.
Paul purchased Blake Funeral Home from Richard P. Burkinshaw in 2010 which allowed Richard the opportunity to fulfill his dream of moving to Florida where he could spend his days on the golf course. In time, Paul designed and built a new, larger facility to accommodate the growing needs of the families in the area.
Paul was honored when in 2019 he was approached by the Gacek family to consider purchasing the Dracut Funeral Home and is very happy to once again be part of the Dracut community.
Paul is a Corporator for the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank, a Corporator for Lowell General Hospital, a member of the Chelmsford Police Foundation, Inc., the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, and the Chelmsford Parade Committee. Paul holds a position on the Board of Directors of the Chelmsford Business Association and the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association. He is a member, and past Vice President, of AHEPA Hellas Chapter 102 of Lowell. In 2017, Paul was honored to be presented with the Lowell Catholic Alumni Achievement Award.
Paul currently lives in Chelmsford with his wife Jennifer (Lebaropoulos) Hardy and their two daughters, Briana and Katherine.
In his spare time, Paul enjoys golfing and traveling with his family.
Jennifer grew up in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell. She attended Merrimack College and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2002 from the University of Massachusetts with a double major in Computer Information Systems and Management. She also received her certification as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer from Boston University.
In 2018, after spending over 15 years working as an Information Technology Senior Manager at Putnam Investments, Jennifer joined the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home staff working alongside her husband Paul. Jennifer, like Paul, was honored when in 2019 they were approached by the Gacek family to consider purchasing the Dracut Funeral Home. She is happy to be part of two such wonderful and supportive communities.
In July 2021, Jennifer completed her education as well as the National and State Board exams and was sworn in as a Licensed Funeral Director. Jennifer enjoys supporting our communities by serving on the Chelmsford Council on Aging, the Chelmsford Parade Committee, the Dracut Old Home Day Committee and the Dracut Rotary Club.
She is an active member and Sunday School teacher at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell where she is also a Board Member of the Ladies Philoptochos Society.
Jennifer currently resides in Chelmsford with her husband Paul Hardy and their two loving daughters, Briana and Katherine.
Jennifer enjoys spending her free time building memories with her family. She enjoys traveling, sunny days at the beach and spending quality time with loved ones.
Elizabeth grew up in New Jersey and came to Boston to attend mortuary school, where she graduated with an Associates Degree in Mortuary Science from New England Institute at Mt. Ida College in 1990.
The following year she was sworn in as a licensed funeral director/embalmer and worked in the greater Boston area for several years.
Having stepped away from funeral service to raise her twin girls and a son, Elizabeth has returned by joining Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home in 2018. As her children head off to college, she is grateful to return to her profession.
Elizabeth quickly became a valued member of the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home staff. In addition to her role as a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, Elizabeth now also serves as Location Manager for our Chelmsford office and assists whenever needed at our recently acquired Dracut Funeral Home.
Elizabeth resides in Georgetown with her husband and three children. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and playing the piano.
Kathy grew up in Charlestown, MA and is a 1978 graduate of North Cambridge Catholic High School. She came to Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home in 2009 after spending 17 years at home raising their sons, Jeff & Kevin. During that time she was an active volunteer in the local schools.
Kathy is a communicant of St. Mary Parish, where she taught in their Religious Education Program for 10 years and also served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
She lives in Chelmsford with her husband Dave and their Golden Retriever, Jackson, who enjoyed growing up in the funeral home, greeting families and napping in the office.
Kathy became a Registered Funeral Assistant in 2018. In 2020, she began to reduce her hours and is involved more behind the scenes now. She currently offers support in both the Chelmsford and Dracut locations.
She is also a Notary Public for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Arthur is a retired fire lieutenant/EMT, proudly serving the Town of Dracut of over 36 years.
Arthur and his wife Roberta have recently settled in Chelmsford, residing in Historic Chelmsford Center.
He has worked in the funeral service for over 30 years, recently becoming a licensed funeral assistant at Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home. He is personable, professional and has a great sense of humor to help lighten everyone’s mood.
In retirement, he gets great satisfaction knowing that he is able to still provide a level of service to people in their time of need, as he did as a firefighter. Arthur enjoys his daily crossword puzzles, can answer almost any trivia question asked and can sometimes be found searching for that special piece of Christmas memorabilia.
John is a lifelong resident of Chelmsford and resides in the Westlands section of town with his wife Sarah and their four children.
He has been a Licensed Funeral Assistant with Blake Funeral Home since 2014.
John is also a Captain on the Chelmsford Fire Department.
After retiring from Raytheon Corporation, Ken joined the staff of Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home as a Funeral Attendant where he frequently assists with visitations and funerals.
Residents of town since 1974, Ken and his wife, Jeanne, are parishioners of St. Mary Parish.
Ken enjoys golfing and is a member of Mount Pleasant Golf Club in Lowell which makes him another valuable member of the foursome in several local golf tournaments Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home is proud to help sponsor.
Bob grew up in the Highlands section of Lowell. He and his wife Carol Ann settled in Chelmsford where they raised their three daughters, all of whom reside in town. Bob & Carol Ann later moved to the Westlands neighborhood where Bob lives today.
Prior to his retirement, he was employed for many years as a manager at the Internal Revenue Service.
Bob has been a Funeral Attendant with Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home since 2000 where he frequently assisted with visitation and funerals. Bob has been a faithful parishioner of St. Mary Parish in Chelmsford for many years. In his spare time, Bob loves to golf and participated in many local golf tournaments that Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home has sponsored over the years.
Bruce is a retired teacher from the Acton-Boxborough School System and is a Corporator for the Lowell Five Cents Savings Bank. For many years, he was the on-air voice of the Chelmsford Lions where he enjoyed broadcasting the weekly football games.
A longtime member of Vesper Country Club, Bruce served on several committees there and is an avid golfer. Bruce was also a key contributor as part of the foursome at several local golf tournaments that Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home has sponsored over the years.
He has been a Funeral Attendant with Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home since 2007 where he frequently assisted with visitation and funerals.
Bruce and his wife Ronna currently divide their time between their homes in Ayer and in Maine.
Mark is a lifelong resident of Lowell where he lives with his wife Lesley (Dalton).
He is the Plant Services-Director for the Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsborough. Mark is a member of the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame where he serves on the Board of Directors.
Mark has been a Funeral Attendant for several years assisting with visitation and funerals.
Walter was born and raised in Lowell, having attended St. Stanislaus School and graduated from Lowell High School in 1977.
He joined the staff at Dracut Funeral Home in 2021 after retiring from a successful career of 41 years with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (DCR). Walter looks forward to providing compassion and support to families during what can be a difficult time for them.
For a number of years after high school, Walter was a youth hockey coach in Lowell. He was also an assistant hockey coach at both Lowell and Dracut High Schools.
Walter currently lives in Dracut with his wife Mary, their son Jeremy and their beloved dog, Bentley. In his spare time, he enjoys working in his yard, woodworking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
1947-2018
Dick was born in Lowell and raised in Chelmsford. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Suffolk University, and later graduated from New England Institute of Funeral Directors and Embalming. For 35 years, Dick owned and operated Blake Funeral Home in Chelmsford until he retired to sunny Naples, Florida in 2010 where he could golf to his heart's content.
An avid golfer, Dick was a longtime member of Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro and of Quail Creek Country Club in Naples.
Dick was very active in the community including serving as a former member and past President of the Chelmsford Police Foundation, Inc., former board member of the Chelmsford Business Association, former member of the Chelmsford Rotary Club, former member of the Board of Directors of the Paul Center, former member and past Vice-Chairman of the Chelmsford Historic District Commission, former member of the Lowell Cemetery Board of Trustees, and former Corporator for Lowell General Hospital. Dick was elected as a Corporator for the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank in 1976 and Director in 1979, serving in both capacities until 2011. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee for over thirty years providing guidance on the oversight of the bank. In 2005 Dick served as a founding member of the Lowell Five investment committee.
Dick was a very kind and caring man who had a wonderful way of putting people at ease which was greatly appreciated by the countless families that he served over the years at the Blake Funeral Home.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news that Dick passed away on Sunday morning March 4th, 2018 but he will always be a part of the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home and will be dearly missed.