Joseph Soly

Joseph E. Soly, 86

Shrewsbury - Joseph E. Soly, 86, of Shrewsbury, passed away on December 4th after a courageous battle with cancer. He will join his loving wife, Patricia R. Soly, who predeceased him on October 7, 2014.

Mr. Soly is survived by four daughters, Theresa O'Donoghue and her husband Brendan, of Leicester, Jeannine Beahn and her husband Tom, of Shrewsbury, Debra Williams and her husband John, of Battle Creek, MI and Yvonne Seroter of Worcester; one son, Brad Trueax and his wife Kathy, of Worcester; five sisters, Patricia Levia of Florida, Kristine Soly of Crossville, TN, Rosemarie McDonald and her husband Hoss, of Silver City, NM, Frances Philley and her husband Robert of Alpine, CA and Evajane Bumbalo of Plymouth, MA; two brothers, Peter Soly of Crossville, TN and Raymond Soly and his wife Barbara, of Blue Bell, PA; 14 grandchildren; 26 great grandchildren; 2 great great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Gene was born and raised in Worcester, son of the late Oscar J. and Katherine (Thompson) Soly and is also predeceased by a son, Charles Trueax, who died in April 2013. Mr. Soly graduated from Worcester Boy's Trade High School in 1945 and worked as a tool and die maker for over 65 years, finally retiring in October 2014.

Joseph was a United States Army Veteran and served during World War II. He was stationed at Fort Custer, MI and was a firefighter and a military police officer while he was enlisted in the Army.

Mr. Soly was a lifelong member of the Worcester Lodge of Elks #243 and served as Exalted Ruler of the Lodge in 1990 & 1991. Gene was also an active member of the Moose Lodge #1129 and enjoyed golfing, his trips to Myrtle Beach and most of all, spending time with his family.

The family of Mr. Soly would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Amr Hassan, Dr. Kathleen O'Grady, Dr. Mohir Hedeshian and the VNA Hospice program for the exceptional care and compassion that was extended to Gene and his family during this most difficult time.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, December 9th from the Alfred Roy & Sons Funeral Home 12 Hammond St. with a Mass at 11 AM in St. Anne's Church 130 Boston Turnpike. Burial will follow in Saint John's Cemetery, Worcester. Calling hours will be held in the funeral home on Monday, December 8th from 5 to 7 PM with the Worcester Lodge of Elks performing a ritual at 6:30. Memorial contributions in memory of Mr. Soly may be made to the American Cancer Society 30 Speen St. Framingham, MA 01701.

To share a memory of Gene, sign the online guestbook, or for directions, please visit

www.Royfuneral.com