Judith M. (Pacini) Keating of Somerville died on Friday, October 30, 2026 after a battle with cancer. She was 81.
She was born and raised in Somerville, the daughter of Salvatore and Mary (Frazzoini) Pacini, and she lived there all her life.
Family was her greatest joy. Any excuse to gather everyone would do: a home-cooked meal around the table, catching up on each other’s lives, or just sitting together. Where they were and what they were doing mattered less than who was in the room. She liked a bit of excitement too, and took trips to the casino hoping for a lucky night. She bowled, took pride in her embroidery, kept her mind busy with word searches, looked after her flowers and drank her tea with plenty of sugar. The small pleasures and the time with the people she loved were what she valued most.
She leaves her husband of 57 years, Bernard “Bernie” Keating; her daughter, Michele Keating-Simons, and her husband, Edward; her brother, Richard Pacini, and his wife, Barbara; her sister-in-law, Roberta Pacini, widow of her brother Charles; and many nieces and nephews.
Calling hours were held Wednesday, November 4 at the George L. Doherty Funeral Home, 855 Broadway, Powder House Square, Somerville, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Ann Church, 399 Medford Street. Burial will take place at a later date at Woodbrook Cemetery in Woburn. The family asks that flowers be omitted and that donations be made in her name to a charity of one’s choice.
Compiled from information published by George L Doherty Funeral Service, Inc. Photograph courtesy of the family via George L Doherty Funeral Service, Inc. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
