TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019 11 years later, a mother can’t let go By Gayla Cawley but he was pulled out of Flax Pond on ITEM STAFF May 7, 2008. He was found oating fully clothed in a red T-shirt, jeans and LYNN — To this day, Ann Roussin a pair of black Converse sneakers. cries every night over her son’s death Roussin said her son had been miss- Contrary to 11 years ago. ing for about a week before he was “I’m brokenhearted still,” Roussin found. On the fth day of the search, police, mom said. “I want to let him rest and I want the then-Maple Street resident re- believes to rest, but I can’t. That’s all I do is cry, membered hearing helicopters ying cry, cry, over 11 years. That’s all I’ve around the nearby Flax Pond. her son was done is cry. I can’t sleep at night. I al- Lots of kids have drowned in that ways wish it wasn’t him in the casket, pond and she was about to go down murdered that he would just come walk through and check to make sure it wasn’t one the door.” of her kids, but she stopped to answer by gangs Although police ruled his death an the phone rst. accidental drowning based on an au- Twenty minutes later, a Lynn Police in Lynn topsy from the medical examiner’s detective and two of cers knocked on Richard Rous- of ce, Roussin remains convinced her her door to let Roussin know they had sin’s body was Belmonte Middle School teacher 20-year-old son was murdered. found her son in Flax Pond. pulled from Leander A. Maes died unexpectedly Richard Roussin couldn’t swim and Flax Pond on last month. would never go near water, she said, MOTHER, A3 May 7, 2008. STEVE KRAUSE AN APPRECIATION Lynn eld community A brother rallies around its church and a teacher remembered in Saugus SAUGUS — It’s been a month since Bel- monte Middle School teacher Leander A. Maes died unexpectedly. And his brother is still amazed at the reverberations his death left in the town. “The wake lasted 6½ hours,” musician Brian Maes said. “We were amazed. And I don’t think I ever heard the words ‘your brother changed my life’ as often as I heard them that night.” And when the funeral process passed the middle school, Principal Myra Monto had all her students outside, waving ags “from all different countries,” Brian Maes said. Leander Maes was named after his grandfather, and as a child he shortened it to “Lee,” and that’s how he was known. “But as he got older,” Maes said, “he em- braced it more and more.” That’s because his brother always had an af nity for history — the subject he taught to Belmonte eighth-graders for 21 years. rooms, new windows on the rst and lower Donna Baldwin “I don’t know what got him into history, By Thomas Grillo ITEM STAFF levels, and a $30,000 re alarm network. walks through the but it started at a very young age. He had The security system is GPS equipped and chapel of an interest about politicians, and World LYNNFIELD — The Lynn eld Community tells re ghters where the blaze originated. Lynn eld Com- War II and other aspects of world history Church could have been lost to a devastating If a re ghter is lost in a smoke- lled build- munity Church, in general. re two years ago. But quick thinking from ing, the GPS will signal the location to the “It also came out in his love of sports,” several parishioners, and perhaps the hand which is under- command staff. Maes said, noting that his brother was a of God, saved it. going a two-part tennis coach in Saugus for many years. “It was a bit of a miracle, and we are very Jack Marino, the church’s property deacon, renovation proj- “He always knew what year someone was thankful,” said Rev. Ray Henderson. “If the remembers the re like it was yesterday. ect after a re with a team, who scored how many goals sanctuary had burned, it would have hurt. On Thursday night, Oct. 5, 2017, about a damaged the and in what year, stuff like that. He had a But it was spared, so was our 160-year-old half dozen parishioners attended a men’s building in great knack for categorization.” organ, and bibles that date back many years.” wood-carving group in Marshall Hall while a October of 2017. Words and public speaking came natu- After an 18-month ght with their in- contractor repaired a water main. rally to Leander Maes. surance company, contractors are putting “The lights started ickering, and we no- ITEM PHOTO | “It probably runs in the family,” his the nishing touches on the rst phase of a ticed an odd smell, like burning plastic,” he SPENSER HASAK brother said. Their mother, Jeanette, is a $650,000 renovation, bringing the 162-year- recalled. “The contractors didn’t seem con- prominent local poet who is president of old building up to code for its two dozen pa- cerned, but we called the Lynn eld Fire the Massachusetts State Poetry Society. rishioners. Department and they shut electricity to the In addition to new wiring, the improve- MAES, A3 ments include handicapped accessible bath- LYNNFIELD, A3 BILL BROTHERTON Raising COMMENTARY concern i’m frightened by over lost iTunes’ demise cane Panic gripped me as I My name is Bill and I’m heard the news: Apple is an mp3 addict! I’m not By Steve Krause killing off iTunes. rational when my music is ITEM STAFF Next to wife, family, involved. And I’m worried LOOK! LYNN — It may be just friends and the occasional that my music will vanish. Peabody’s Mary a cane. And David Lee day on the golf course or bi- Apple announced that Theresa Mongiello, has many of them lying cycle, nothing means more it is phasing out iTunes above, ready to turn around his house. to me than my music. on its upcoming Catalina 100 years young. A8 But this cane is special. All of my digital music upgraded operating system Opinion It was hand-made, and is in iTunes and stored in favor of three new apps: given to him earlier this on a 3TB external drive. I Music, TV and Podcasts. Commentary: have a backup at a friend’s Apple said I don’t have to October is a year by his sister-in-law house in case my house worry about losing any month close to after her husband, whose my heart. A4 cane it originally was, burns down. There are music imported into my died. more than 160,000 songs, iTunes library. Those les Sports Now, that cane is miss- enough to play for more will just move into the new Danvers golf beats ing. And the Lees are be- than a year, 24 hours a Apple Music app. Marblehead side themselves trying to day, without repeating a Apple says my play- at Tedesco. B1 get it back. single song. I meticulously lists and music are safe. I “I’ve never prayed so curate my iTunes library, don’t trust Apple. Apple is Lynn eld girls hard in my life,” said Lee’s getting rid of pesky repeats always making its products PHOTO | MARK LEE soccer wins 11th wife, Irene. and weeding out hard rock obsolete. straight. B1 David Lee, with his wife, Irene, is in search songs with cookie monster CANE, A3 of a missing cane that has sentimental value. vocals. BROTHERTON, A3 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 ENTERTAINMENT .......................A7 COMICS/DIVERSIONS ........... B4-5 HIGH 62° VOL. 141, ISSUE 262 OPINION ...................................A4 LOOK! .......................................A8 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 46° POLICE/FIRE .............................A6 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 BUSINESS ................................B8 PAGE A8 $1.50 A2 THE DAILY ITEM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019 OBITUARIES Richard M. Sampson, 70 Charles P. Wilkinson Victoria M. Serwatka, 92 The Man, the Myth, the Legend WINDHAM, N.H. — Richard Charles “Charlie” Proctor LYNN — Victoria M. (Kavale- M. Sampson, 70, of Windham, Wilkinson, born April 6, 1952, ski) Serwatka, 92, of Lynn, be- N.H., died peacefully on Sun- Washington, D.C. loved wife of the late Edwin P. day at his home, surrounded Beloved son of Frances In- Serwatka and loving daughter by his loving family. gersoll Proctor Wilkinson and of the late Michael and So- Richard was born in Co- John Burke Wilkinson. Charlie phie Kavaleski, died at home shocton, Ohio, grew up and spent part of his youth be- Oct. 13 with her daughters was educated in Lynn, and ing educated in Paris, which and family at her side. graduated from St. John’s sparked a lifelong love of Born, raised and educated Prep in Danvers. He attend- language and culture. Charlie in Waltham, she was a gradu- ed Northeastern University was also a passionate en- ate of St. Mary’s High School, and North Shore Community vironmental conservationist Waltham, and a resident for College. He was a resident and master diver in his teen- 20 years prior to moving to of Windham for the past 10 age years. A passion which Lynn. She was employed with years, formerly of Lynn. translated to a love of marine the Greater Lynn Senior Ser- Richard joined the National ecology, which he studied at vice for 15 years. Guard in 1969 and went to College of the Atlantic, Bar Victoria accomplished active duty in 1970, serving Harbor, Maine.