Obituary of Anita K. (Gustafson) Bracero

Anita Kathleen Gustafson (Bracero) born in Grand Rapids Minnesota, of Woburn, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on October 20, 2024. She was surrounded by family and friends in her last days.

Anita was born on May 1, 1950 to William and Lempi Gustafson, and grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota in a rural community. She came to Woburn to be with her sister, and was an executive assistant at several large consulting and healthcare organizations until her retirement in 2020. She raised two children as a single parent in Woburn, Lisa and Noel, and supported them unselfishly through childhood and into their adult lives. She was proud that they got their college educations, their own homes, and was especially proud to be a loving and involved grandmother to Liam and Grace Nolan.

She was a crafter - making beautiful clothes and quilts for her family members and friends throughout her life. She loved animals - especially her cats, and loved to be outside, whether at the beach or in the woods. She had a quick sense of humor and loved reading and learning about Finland and her ancestry.

She is survived by her daughter Lisa Nolan of Woburn, son Noel Bracero and wife Laura of Woburn, grandchildren Liam and Grace, sister Evelyn Helgerson and husband John of Wakefield NH, brother Clifford Gustafson and wife Vivian of Florence, AZ, many nieces and nephews, including Paula Debow, Julie Roberts, Loralee Helgerson, Joel Helgerson and Rebekah Perry as well as their spouses and children.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org/.

Lisa and Noel would like to offer a special thank you to Paula, Ron, Elizabeth and Hannah Debow, in whose home she spent the last months of her life under their dedicated care.

Visitation will be held on Satuday, October 26th from 1 pm until 2:30 pm.  Anita's Funeral Service will be held in the funeral home at 2:30 pm.