Westborough – Warren A. Rand, 82, formerly of Westborough, passed away April 12, 2019 at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth after a struggle with Alzheimer’s. He leaves his beloved wife of 59 years, Janice “Jan” (Wentworth) Rand.
He was born in Brockton to the late Fred E. and Lillian (French) Rand. He was educated in Braintree Schools and was a graduate of Braintree High School in 1954. He also graduated from the New England Institute of Anatomy, Sanitary Science, and Embalming. After high school he served for two years in the United States Coast Guard, stationed on the Brenton Lightship off the coast of Rhode Island.
Warren was a funeral director for close to 40 years. He began his career in the south shore, mastering his skills at Folsom’s, Wickens and Troupe, and finally Sparrell’s Funeral Homes. It was in 1973 that Warren purchased the Harper Funeral Home, after a few years renaming it Rand and Harper Funeral Home. As a man of true strength, honor, compassion and integrity, Warren became ingrained in the Westborough community until retiring to Centerville in 1996.
Warren was a member of the Siloam Lodge A.F. & A.M., serving as the organist for over 20 years, the Westborough Rotary Club and the Greater Worcester Funeral Directors Association.
Warren had a strong passion for lighthouses, the water and boating, and was happiest spending summers on the shores of Sagamore Beach, Falmouth, The Childs River, and in later years on Long Pond in Lakeville. He meticulously maintained his beloved wooden boat, a Penn Yann Runabout, he bought in 1964 that still to this day serves his family proud every summer. There wasn’t a dog in sight that he didn’t fall in love with and want to toss a ball with.
Warren was an incredible musician. Sitting down to his beloved Hammond B3 Organ that was his fathers, he filled the home every night with the most incredible jazz music from the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra and more. “Satin Doll” was always in his library and one of his most favorites to play. He loved woodworking and tinkering with projects in and around the house.
He had a dry wit and silly sense of humor that always had someone smiling or laughing, often offering just the right amount of comfort to those in a time of need and suffering from a loss. But most of all, Warren’s most true love of all was his wife Jan. Having the most amazing marriage and partnership, they were inseparable for over 60 years. Even up to his last days, he still knew he wanted to take care of her, tucking her in at night and never once missing a day to whisper to her “I Love You.”
In addition to his wife, he leaves behind two sons, Robert W. and his wife Mauri and their two children Nathaniel. and Curtis, and David W. and his partner Leonard Condenzio; one brother, Wayne F. and his wife Janet; and a niece, Joan Shedlock and her husband Stephen.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Senior Behavioral Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth whose compassion and sincere attention to dignity and respect made these last days as comfortable as possible for Warren and his Family.
His funeral service will be on Wednesday, April 17, at 1 p.m., in The Congregational Church of Westborough, 57 West Main St., Westborough. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. Calling hours at the Pickering and Son Westborough Funeral Home (the former Rand and Harper Funeral Home), 62 West Main St., Westborough, are Tuesday, April 18, from 4-7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter, 309 Waverley Oaks Rd., Waltham, MA 02452 or at www.alz.org/MANH.
