Lillian Galner Kunian

Lillian Kunian, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 18, at Newbridge on the Charles, in Dedham.

Lillian Rose Hurwitz was born in Boston on August 7, 1917, to Samuel Hurwitz and Ethel Hurwitz (née Grollman). Lillian lived in Dorchester and later in Mattapan, in a triple-decker with her parents, her older sisters, Francis and Helen and older brother, Arnold. Her father, a Russian immigrant, and scholar of the Talmud owned a scrap metal yard to provide for his family.

Lillian (Lil) graduated from Dorchester High School. As a teenager, she met her future husband, Louis (Lou) Galner, a tall, handsome, natural athlete and talented baseball player, who took her to Fenway Park on one of their first dates. She and Lou were married in 1938. Settling first in Dorchester and later in Newton, Lil and Lou had two children, Judith (Judy), and Kenneth (Kenny).

Lil was a devoted homemaker, while Lou ran his father's commercial window-cleaning business in South Boston. The family enjoyed summers in Scituate and hosting parties for their circle of friends. In later years, Lil and Lou loved to travel, and played tennis and golf at the Blue Hills Country Club.

After Lou's death, Lil found love again, marrying David Kunian, a lawyer who had recently lost his wife. She and David lived in Boston, Lake Worth, Florida and later, in Chestnut Hill.

Lil's extraordinarily long life brought many blessings, but also great sadness, including the deaths of her brother Arnold in 1953, her son, Kenny, and his wife, Pam, in 1967, her husband, Lou, in 1980, her second husband, David, in 1995, and granddaughter, Lisel, in 2003.

Throughout her long life, Lil had an inner strength and resilience that enabled her to overcome loss and find joy in connecting with others. A warm and energetic social butterfly, Lil loved nothing more than a good conversation, always interested in and skilled at drawing out the best in others. Working as a facilitator at medical seminars in the 1980's, she would eagerly engage with presenters, asking them about their research. Lil was an avid reader of The Boston Globe, - a folded copy often within reach - who always kept herself up to date on local news.

Lil is survived by her daughter, Judy, and her husband, Perry, of Waban; nephew, Gene and his wife, Jean, of Atlanta; grandchildren: Adam and wife, Joanne, of Arlington; Timothy and wife, Anne, of Stuyvesant, NY; and great-grandchildren: Sam, and wife, Jessie, of Cambridge; Lula of Somerville; Freddy of Brooklyn, NY; Aaron of Woburn; Max of Washington, D.C.; and Eva of Arlington.

Funeral services will be private. Donations in Lil's memory may be made to a charity of your choice.