George W. Colby Jr., 81

George W. Colby Jr., 81, of Newton, N,H., formerly of Plaistow, N.H., passed away Friday, March 11, at the Lawrence General Hospital surrounded by his family.

Born in Burlington, Vt., he was the son of the late George W. and Marjorie (Ledue) Colby. Raised and educated in Springfield, Vt., he was a graduate of Springfield High School. A Veteran of the Korean War, Colby enlisted into the United States Navy soon after high school. He proudly served on the U.S.S. Energy, a mine sweeper for three years, receiving the National Defense Medal, China Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal and honorable discharge. Upon his return from the service, he continued his education at Wentworth Institute and received his degree in Electrical Engineering from Merrimack College. He was employed as an electronic component engineer at Bell Labs in North Andover and retired from AT& T in 1989 after thirty years of service. Colby was proud of his Irish heritage. He loved Irish music and enjoyed yearly visits to the Irish Village at Cape Cod. Summers were spent on Province Lake in New Hampshire, as he loved hunting, fishing and boating. His memberships included the AMVETS, VFW, the Plaistow American Legion, and Knights of Columbus, North Andover.

He leaves his partner of 30 years, Betty A. (Belanger) Comeau, of Newton, N.H.; her children; Diane Stabile, of Danville, N.H., and Cheryl Lupi and her husband, Ernie, of Bradford; two daughters, Terri Serino and her husband, Richard, of Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, and Lori Jillson and her husband, Mark, of Plaistow; a son; Scott Colby and his wife Karla, of Londonderry, N.H., eight grandchildren, Alisha , Erica, and Ernie M. Lupi, III, Christopher Poliquin, Jennifer Poliquin, and Angela, Jillian and Kaitlyn Colby; three great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son Alan Colby and a brother, Kendall Colby.

Friends and family are invited to calling hours Tuesday, March 15, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Kevin B. Comeau Funeral Home, 486 Main St. Haverhill. Funeral services will begin Wednesday morning at 10 from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11, at Sacred Hearts Church, South Main Street. Bradford. Burial is private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his name to the Sacred Hearts Endowment Fund, 48 South Chestnut St. Bradford, MA 01835.

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