Alfred Gadway Jr.

ASHBY -- Alfred Leo Lee Gadway Jr., 50, of Main Street in Ashby, died Sunday, Jan. 13, after a courageous battle with Osteosarcoma, at his home surrounded by his family.

Mr. Gadway was born in Melrose on June 23, 1957, a son of the late Alfred L. and Mary (Tooley) Gadway and grew up in Melrose.

He attended the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and was a 1976 graduate of Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School, where he studied electronics. He worked in electrical optics for 28 years.

He was an avid hiker and in 2001 took a six-month leave of absence to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He also traveled to California and Europe, which he enjoyed very much. He was especially fond of sports cars and spent several years restoring his 1969 Triunph TR6.

He was very dedicated to his family.

He is survived by his life partner, Laura J. Senechal; two sons, Alfred L. Gadway of Ashby, Joshua T. Gadway of Worcester; three sisters, Lois Tow of San Francisco, Calif., Kathleen Gadway of Berkeley, Calif., and Carolyn Gadway of Easton; two brothers, Roderick Gadway of Dover, N.H., and Christopher Gadway of Portland, Ore. and two grandsons, Lucas E. Gadway of Ashby and Arthur J. Cushing of Gilmanton, N.H.

GADWAY -- A memorial service will be held from 4-7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Harley House restaurant, 909 Mass. Ave. (Rt. 2A), Lunenburg. Burial will be private. There are no calling hours. Memorial contributions may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 799 Washington St., P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 (www.appalachiantrail.org) or the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, 17 Bethea Drive, Ossining, N.Y. 10562 (www.liddyshriversarcomainitative.org). The T.J. Anderson & Son Funeral Home, 250 Main St., Townsend Center, is assisting the family with arrangements. Please see www.andersonfuneral.com for additional information.