Edward Christopher Curtis

One of nine children, Ed grew up in Lynn, MA and graduated from Lynn Tech High School in 1978 where he met and later married his high school sweetheart, Bessie Turner. They went on to have two wonderful children, Meaghan and Brian, and four lively grandsons. Ed loved his family and was very proud of each of them. He treasured the love of his life, Bessie, and enjoyed spending time with his grandsons, watching The Three Stooges and joking with them about gorillas!

After successfully renovating their first home, he discovered his passion and talent for general contracting which later fueled his love of woodworking and cabinetry. In 1989, Ed built their new family home and soon after established Curtis Cabinetry in Middleton. His dedication and willingness to take risks enabled him to later expand the company to Georgetown. During his career, Ed served on the Board of Directors for the Cabinet Makers Association, where his contributions and innovations helped hundreds of struggling cabinet makers improve their businesses. On a local level, he brought together cabinet makers in his region to support and share information.

After a long, fruitful career, he sold the company and retired to Florida in the spring of 2023. During retirement, Ed made many new friends and found several new hobbies including pickleball and bowling. He continued to enjoy old hobbies like traveling, camping and singing his favorite songs at karaoke (even if it wasn’t his turn.)

Ed was known by all for his “larger than life” personality. No one could tell a story like Ed and he was known to have more than one joke on hand. Ed was always the one bringing people together. Whether it was forming the “Real Men” of Middleton or bringing local cabinet makers together for network meetings, Ed thrived in making connections with others. He was very close to his siblings and they all adored him for his humor, intellect, and loving nature. For over 30 years, Ed and Bess hosted the infamous Curtis Family Christmas parties filled with laughter, lively swaps and eccentric themes.

There was never a dull moment with Ed. Over the years, he and his family enjoyed many adventures traveling around the country and overseas. Ed was a planner and never met a spreadsheet he didn’t like! His thorough research led to his recently planned cross country trip with Bess and their greyhound, Amy, bringing them to unique locations including farms, ranches, wineries and state parks.

Known for his big heart and generous nature, Ed always thought of others. He readily gave his time and energy to anyone who needed help. Ed loved animals and animals loved him. Whether rescuing greyhounds, saving turtles in the road, or meeting farm and exotic animals, Ed was a natural animal whisperer.

Ed is survived by his wife of 44 years, Bessie (Turner) Curtis; his two children Meaghan (Curtis) Guanci and spouse, Timothy Guanci of Derry, NH and Brian Curtis and spouse Cara (Harvey) Curtis of Danvers, MA; four grandchildren, Brayden, Blake, Séamus, and Bryson. Ed was also survived by siblings, Kathleen Curtis of Marblehead, MA, Margaret Lincourt and spouse Richard (Dick) Lincourt of Little Rock, AR; Mary Curtis of Los Angeles, CA; Daniel Curtis of Marblehead, MA; Patricia Cardenas of Swampscott, MA; Agnes Tuden of Medford, MA; and Christine Green of Essex, MA. Ed will be missed by his many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Agnes Curtis of Beverly, MA and sister, Ruth Perju of Lynn, MA.

In January, the family will be holding a celebration of life for Ed in Massachusetts with details to be announced at a later time.