Alfred A. Montuori

Alfred (Fred) A. Montuori passed away peacefully at the age of 96 on Saturday, January 18, 2025 in Leominster, MA. He was born in Somerville, MA in 1928 to Anthony and Evelyn (Bianchi) Montuori. He was a second generation American, both of his parents having immigrated to the US from Italy as children.

Fred was predeceased by his beloved wife Marilou (Dorrien) in 2021, as well as his three siblings and their spouses, Catherine and David Capone, Ralph and Gertrude Montuori, and William and Dorothy Montuori. He is survived by his daughters and their spouses, Mariellen and Barry Perla, Elizabeth and David Rowles, and Melissa and Philip Brady, along with his grandchildren Alana and Bianca Perla, and Tucker Smith. He will also be dearly missed by his sister-in-law Nancy Dorrien, Tucker’s father Scott Smith, and countless nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and neighbors.

Fred grew up in Somerville and Arlington, MA, near where his father owned a barbershop on Mass Ave in Cambridge, which still stands today. He graduated from Arlington High School in 1947 and joined the US Marine Corps in 1951 during the Korean War. He served in Philadelphia, PA where he was wooed with dinner invitations from many Italian mothers who wanted a nice boy like him to marry their daughters. To their dismay, after his enlistment he returned to his home state where he met the love of his life Marilou while visiting relatives in Fitchburg, MA. They married at St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg in 1957 and settled first in Reading, then in Leominster where they raised their three daughters and lived out the rest of their years. Fred moved into Sunrise Assisted Living in Leominster in June 2024, where he was well cared for by the staff whom he charmed with his sense of humor and fierce independence.

Fred attended Northeastern University on the GI Bill and earned degrees in Civil Engineering, Pharmacy, and Business. Many will fondly remember Fred as the owner and pharmacist of Dorrien Pharmacy in the Cleghorn neighborhood of Fitchburg, MA, which was previously owned by his father-in-law, Charles Dorrien. Fred cared deeply for his customers and was proud to serve the community there from the 1960s to his retirement in 1998. After retirement, Fred worked as a crossing guard and volunteered in the cafeteria at St. Anna’s Catholic School in Leominster for 20 years where he was affectionately known as “Mr. Fred.” On his final day at the school, the students and teachers honored him with a warm round of applause as he walked through the hallways for the last time.

Fred will be remembered by those who had the pleasure of knowing him as a smart, generous, kind, humble, hardworking man who loved and cherished his family. He was the smartest person everyone knew, and he remained witty and sharp until the end. He and Marilou were always the life of the party when they were together, and many will never forget Fred’s hearty laugh or his legendary Christmas pants. He was also an avid sports fan, especially the New England professional teams and Boston College. He could tell you the score of the BC-Holy Cross game the day the Cocoanut Grove burned down and how much it cost to go see the Boston Braves with his father when he was a kid, including the subway fare. He was also a devout Catholic who rarely missed communion, and a supporter of the Salvation Army, which took in his own father when he arrived alone at Ellis Island at 13 years old, before relatives were able to meet him.

A funeral mass will be held at 11am on Friday, January 24, 2025 at Holy Family of Nazareth Church in Leominster. A private burial will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fred’s memory to the Salvation Army https://www.salvationarmyusa.org, the Leominster Library Children’s programs https://www.leominsterlibrary.org/about/giving, or St Anna’s School in Leominster MA https://stannaparish.org/donate.

Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Road, Fitchburg is directing arrangements.