In Memoriam

ALUMNI

Katharine H. ‘Kittie’ Sturtevant ’37

March 29, 2021 Braintree, Massachusetts at age 101 Katharine was the daughter of the Rt. Rev. Henry W. Hobson and Edmonia B. Hobson and grew up in Worcester, MA and Cincinnati, OH. She attended Chatham Hall in Virginia and graduated from Smith College. She married the Rev. Peter Mann Sturtevant, an Episcopal priest, who died in 1998.

She is survived by and dearly missed by her children the Rev. Henry H. Sturtevant, Katharine M. Sturtevant (Johnson), Mary S. Sturtevant (Rains). Katharine was predeceased by her son, Peter Mann Sturtevant, Jr.

Mariane (van Valkenburg) Carey ’42

October 17, 2021 Mariane grew up in Worcester, MA, graduating from Bancroft and Westbrook Jr. College (Portland, ME) and later worked at the law firm Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie and Lougee as a receptionist to support her five children. Even in her final days, Mariane had a very special talent; she could spell any word backwards as quickly as most people could spell the same word forwards. She loved clothes, flirting, Christmas, butterflies, a good snowstorm, “painting the sky”, and her morning coffee. But most of all, she loved her family.

Elisabeth (Caswell) Frye ’46

January 1, 2022 | Essex, MA at 93 Born in Worcester, Elisabeth was the daughter of Chester F. and Elisabeth (Blanchard) Caswell. She attended Northfield School for Girls, Bancroft, Smith College, and Katherine Gibbs School.

Mrs. Frye was a member of the Essex Planning Board. Elisabeth, known to many as Betty Jane or BJ, will be remembered for her quick wit, an affinity for flowers and gardening, and her love and commitment to the town of Essex.

Mary Tonna Cocaine ’46

October 6, 2021 Worcester, MA at 94 Mary was born in 1927 in Worcester, MA to Veronica (Dima) and Theodore Tonna, one of the founders of Table Talk Pies. Mary would later become the head of the company, becoming instrumental in keeping the headquarters in Worcester. She was the oldest of seven children. After graduating from Bancroft, Mary attended Wheaton College. Mary became active in her church, including serving as a member of the parish council and the church choir.

As her children grew older, Mary’s appreciation for learning and determination of spirit led her to continue her education. She returned to college to finish her degree, and graduated from Anna Maria College with a BA at the age of 50. Mary then went on to receive a Master’s of Education from Assumption College.

Mary leaves behind two children, five grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

June Ramsey Atwood ’48

February 7, 2022 | West Falmouth at 91 A descendant of the Henry Swift family, June was born in Worcester, MA in 1930, daughter of the late Webster Kimball Ramsey and Chrystella Swift Ramsey.

June attended the Northampton School for Girls, Bancroft, Colby-Sawyer College, and the Katharine Gibbs School. June spent almost every summer of her life in West Falmouth with her extended family and many dear friends.

June was a classy, well-dressed lady who enjoyed skiing and tennis and loved the arts. She also loved meeting people and socializing. In her late years, she would often be seen cruising around the village in her Highlander, stopping to chat with people. She loved talking with everyone, from the oldest residents to the youngest of children. June is survived by two children, three grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Barbara A. (Park) Wickham ’48

June 15, 2022 Westwood, MA at 91 Born in Toledo, Ohio, Barbara was raised in Worcester and graduated from Bancroft where she was elected senior class president. Known as “Parkie”, Barbara lived her entire life true to her creed: “I shall go softly all my years.” She attended Smith College, graduating in 1951 with a major in history. When newly married, Barbara lived for two years in Hawaii, where she taught English at The Punahou School. She settled in Hollin Hills, a suburb of Alexandria, VA, to raise her family. She was an active member of the community, for many years spearheading the annual July 4th picnic and editing the community bulletin, among other activities. She lived there for 52 years before moving to Westwood. Barbara was known for her ready, warm smile, quiet intellect and wide-ranging curiosity. She was a patron of the arts, an avid bridge player, and a voracious reader. She was a Master Gardener, and upon retirement, returned to school to become a massage therapist, volunteering her services for patients in hospice care.

Alison (Alton) Robb ’49

June 14, 2022 | Easton, MA at 90 Alison Robb passed away on June 14th, 2022 at Falmouth Hospital. Thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.

Janet (Ayres) Coles ’51

January 11, 2022 Bend, Oregon at 88 Janet Ayres Coles was born December 1, 1933, in Worcester, Massachusetts. She enjoyed 88 adventurous years before passing on January 11 in Bend, Oregon.

Jan’s formative years were spent in Worcester and on Cape Cod with her parents, her two brothers, and her sister. The Ayres family held to traditions, so Jan followed the path of her mother and sister from Bancroft School in Worcester to Wellesley College. She graduated from Bancroft in 1951 and from Wellesley in 1955 and married Douglas Terry Coles the following year. Jan was a woman of progressive values whose goal was to raise self-sufficient and resourceful kids. She could also be quite unconventional, allowing our house to be a social center for high school gatherings. All her children’s friends thought she was cool as she loved talking to her kids’ friends. Jan is survived by three children, eight grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and all of her extended family.

Martha Woods Briggs ’51

June 14, 2022 Portland, Maine at 88 Martha was born in Newton, Mass. on June 25, 1933 late moving to Brookfield, Mass. when her father bought the wire mill there. Martha graduated from Bancroft where she was the tallest girl at 5 foot 10 inches, and therefore the captain of all the sports teams. She attended Wheaton College for two years before marrying her husband, Frank Lincoln Briggs who was studying to be an electrical engineer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In 1977, she returned to college to finish her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Her lifelong profession and love was teaching. She taught and directed the Bethany Preschool (Connecticut) and the Kennebec Valley YMCA Preschool in Augusta. An accomplished swimmer, she was the director of many waterfront programs including Peck Pond in Bethany, Conn. and Damariscotta Lake State Park in Jefferson. She was also an accomplished sailor and taught sailing at Camp Asquam in New Hampshire and enjoyed many boating expeditions on salt and freshwater.

Together with her husband Frank, they enjoyed a lifetime of adventures, including designing and building the family cottage on Damariscotta Lake, going on many boat camping trips on Moosehead Lake and on Warren Island in Penobscot Bay, and ski trips to Jay Peak, Saddleback and Sugarloaf. She is survived by three children, four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Cynthia Riley Fehsenfeld Parsons ’52

October 3, 2021 | Cockeysville, MD at 87 Born July 24, 1934, in Worcester, Massachusetts, Cynthia maintained a New England grit — and fearlessness in the face of snowstorms — after relocating to Baltimore. Her parents were Mary Alexander and Chapin Riley. She graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, then an all-girls boarding school, before going on to attend Smith College.

In 1956, she married David T. Fehsenfeld of Baltimore, who later became a vice president at T. Rowe Price. The couple lived on a farm, where they raised three children — Kate, Tom and Alex — and a range of animals that included chickens, horses, and at one point, baby raccoons. An avid gardener, Mrs. Parsons cultivated white violets, climbing roses and daffodils at home.

Her first husband died in a 1984 car accident and nearly a decade later, Mrs. Parsons married I. Manning Parsons.

Cynthia was an active person who loved tennis, skiing, sailing and playing bridge. Her warm personality endeared her to friends.

In addition to her husband and daughter, Mrs. Parsons is survived by her brother, children, and many grandchildren and step grandchildren.

Ruth M. (Gustafson) Flynn ’52

December 26, 2021 | Shrewsbury, MA at 88 A longtime Shrewsbury resident, Ruth passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 26, 2021, with her loving family at her side, at Whitney Place of Westborough. She lost her beloved husband, Lawrence J. “Larry” Flynn, Sr., in March of 2021.

Ruth leaves four children, nine grandchildren, two sisters, and several nieces and nephews.

Born, raised, and educated in Worcester, Ruth was a graduate of Bancroft. She attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, and graduated from Framingham State College in Framingham, where she received her Bachelor’s degree. Ruth enjoyed working for the Worcester County Courthouse, Shawmut Bank, but most of all, enjoyed her time as a teacher in the Shrewsbury School System. In the 1960’s, she had her own yarn shop in the barn of her home on Green Street in Shrewsbury, called the Yarn Barn.

Ruth was a former member of the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury for many years, and was also a member of their choir. Later in life, she was a faithful member of the First Grafton Baptist Church of Grafton, where she loved attending the Sunday Services.

Mary Lou Seto ’53

October 8, 2021 | San Jose, CA at 86 Mary remembered fondly her youth in Worcester, where she was active in a variety of sports, most notably tennis. She ranked 2nd in New England as a youth and was one of Hazel Wightman’s girls until an injury curtailed the more competitive ranks. Given her love of basketball as well as the Celtics, she loved to tell how she once got to play tennis with Bob Cousy while at the Worcester Tennis Club.

After attending Bancroft, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Vassar College (Poughkeepsie NY) where she was a member of the G-Stringers, a group of women guitar musicians who sang pop-folk songs in the area. After graduation, she joined IBM as part of the new computer science group as a programmer, a breakthrough career for a female in the 50’s. It is through IBM connections she met and married David Seto, and settled into the greater Poughkeepsie area. She had a big heart and was always one of the first to be there for friends in need and asked for little in return. In her later years, she moved from the Hudson Valley to live near family in the San Jose CA area where she passed.

Mary Lou is survived by her five children, her twelve grandchildren, her sister, and many nieces and nephews, as well as her old tennis ladies.

Calvin Carr ’55

June 5, 2022 | Boothbay, Maine at 85 Calvin Carr was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 25, 1937 to F. Benjamin Carr, MD and Dorothea (Cashman) Carr of Worcester, Massachusetts. He spent the World War II years in San Francisco, California while his father, who was a Captain in the U.S. Naval Medical Corps, served as Chief of Medicine at Base Hospital 18 on Guam. Following the war, the family returned to Worcester. Calvin attended Bancroft, Worcester Academy, Cornell University, and received his bachelor of arts degree from Tufts University. He earned a doctor of jurisprudence, as well as a Master of Law in taxation from Boston University School of Law. He worked for many years in the Law Department of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, retiring as Tax Counsel to John Hancock and to its various subsidiaries in March of 1996.

On July 30, 1966, Calvin became, in his own words,“the luckiest person” when he married Mary Virginia “Ginger” Logie. Together, Calvin and Ginger had a very productive and enjoyable nearly 56 years of marriage. They had two daughters, Stephanie Carr Angelone and Kimberly Carr. They lived for thirty years in Framingham, Massachusetts.

In retirement, Calvin enjoyed volunteering at the Boothbay Region Land Trust where he served on the board of directors and as secretary, acting treasurer, and vice president. He served as chair and member of the Lands Committee for 25 years. He and Ginger were charter members of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where he served as a volunteer for years. He was chair of the Nominating Committee during the formative years of the Gardens. Additionally, he was a member of the Down East Yacht Club. Calvin most enjoyed family, sailing, cruising on their power boat Salty and gardening.

He is survived by his wife Ginger, his two daughters, and seven grandchildren.

Hugh Alexander Riley ’58

September 14, 2021 | South Dartmouth, MA at 81 Hugh passed away peacefully at his home in Salter’s Point. Hugh was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 28, 1939, the son of Chapin Riley and Mary Alexander Riley. He attended Bancroft School and Worcester Academy in Worcester.

Hugh is survived by his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband, a niece, two nephews, three great-nieces, and five great-nephews. Hugh had a long, special friendship with Jane Martin and the Sykes family who included him in all their family events, as he was the Easter Bunny and Santa annually.

An artist of watercolor and oil paintings beginning in his teenage years, Hugh expressed his passion for boats, nature, and especially seascapes. Most recently he explored glass fusion translating the same subjects. Besides his interest in art, Hugh was an avid sailor and had an interest in wooden sailboats. Hugh had a love of adventure and frequently visited his friend, Henry Tiffany, in Juneau, Alaska. Friends remember Hugh as warm, kind, and caring.

Rufus Smith Frost III ’58

June 7, 2022 Marlborough, MA & Keene, NH at 82 Rufus S. Frost, III, 82, formerly of Worcester, MA and currently of Marlborough and Keene, NH, died on the morning of June 7, 2022. He leaves his wife of 58 years, Mary (Brereton), his two children Rufus, IV and Nancy F. Bland, six grandchildren, and his oldest sister Helen (Henny) F. Hale.

Mr. Frost, son of Rufus II and Helen (Houston) Frost was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1940 and lived and worked there until his retirement in 2001 at which time he and his wife moved to Marlborough. He attended Bancroft and is a graduate of Middlesex School (Concord, MA). He served proudly in the United States Marine Corps Reserve during the early years of the Vietnam War and went on to graduate from Nichols College.

His memberships included Bohemians and Yellow Label in Worcester, and Mayflower Society, S.A.R, and MOLLUS on a national level. He was proud to continue his family’s commitment to the Frost Free Library in Marlborough and pleased to serve on its Board for many years.

Among his greatest pleasures were his grandchildren. He loved talking and kidding with them, following their interests, and attending their graduations. His time with his family was a highlight of his life. Affectionately known as Papa by his family and Rufe by his friends, he was loved and admired by many. He and his sense of humor will be missed.

Christina Gummere Laurie ’60

August 24, 2022 | Falmouth, MA at 80 Daughter of James E.T. Gummere and Elizabeth Wood Gummere Baker, step-daughter of Spencer H. Baker, and sister to Ann Cranshaw and Becky Hall. Christina is survived by her three children Bradley Laurie, Kit Angland, John Laurie, and their spouses: Kimberly, Greg and Alyssa. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, which she adored and loved to spend as much time as possible with.

Christina was born February 8, 1942, in Worcester and grew up in Grafton. After attending Bancroft School and Hartwick College, she worked as a newspaper reporter for various papers in Worcester, Boston, Quincy and Waltham. She married David W. Laurie in 1967, they were married for 26 years and had three children. At the age of 46, she attended Boston University School of Theology, receiving her Master of Divinity in 1998, and being ordained a Deacon in the United Methodist Church in 1999. She served the church for a decade as assistant pastor in Hartford, Stafford Springs and Meriden, CT., before being appointed to her own church in Glastonbury, CT. She also served in Rhode Island two years before becoming a Hospice chaplain in Pawtucket, which she loved.

Her life was dedicated to volunteerism, including visiting nursing homes, working in church missions, and as a chaplain at Falmouth Hospital. She was involved in church work all her life, singing, leading, volunteering, teaching, preaching and running workshops for church and women’s groups.

She was an avid sports enthusiast and swam daily since 1981. In that year, she began to play team tennis for six years, the last four being on an undefeated doubles team. She skied from the age of seven and enjoyed the Cape Cod Ski trips since 2000. At age 73, she learned to drive a motorcycle and enjoyed the open air on her bike. She loved to sail, bicycle, walk, watch sunsets, care for her twin cats, and spend time with her family and many friends.

Carol A. (Guptill) Bafaro ’62

June 21, 2021 | Worcester, MA at 77 Carol was born in Worcester, one of three daughters of Dr. Clifford R. and Thelma L. (Davis) Guptill. Raised and educated in Worcester, she graduated from The Bancroft School, studied at Cazenovia Junior College, and received her Bachelor’s degree in education from Boston University. In 1967, Carol married Carl A. “Tony” Bafaro and began a 39-year marriage full of love and devotion until Tony passed away on March 4th, 2006. Together they raised three children.

Carol is survived by her children Laura Marchand, Frank Bafaro II, and Amanda Speed and their spouses, 5 grandchildren that she loved with all her heart, two sisters, one brother in law, one brother, two sisters in law, and many nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends.

Carol had a rewarding career as a primary school teacher before choosing to stay home with her children. Later in life, she found satisfaction working with special needs children in Worcester public schools, eventually retiring from Sullivan Middle School.

Carol was a gentle warrior. Her inner strength and positivity got her through tough times in life, including her husband’s illnesses and death, a life-saving organ transplant, and successful battles with cancer.

In Carol’s life, her family came first. She was happiest surrounded by her kids and grandchildren. She never missed opportunities to reach out and celebrate special occasions or holidays. She had a great sense of humor and room in her heart for everyone she met. Carol was kind, thoughtful, social, funny, and always generous with her love, time, and attention.

Steven H. Wandrei ’73

December 4, 2021 | Oxford, MA A lifelong resident of Oxford, Steve was the son of the late Alfred and Ruth (Dimock) Wandrei. Steve is survived by his loving family and dear friends.

Steve will be most fondly remembered as the Captain of the Hurling Chunks World Championship Punkin’ Chunkin’ team. As Captain, Steve led his team into competition for many years in the trebuchet category in regional and national pumpkin hurling competitions. Regularly finishing not quite last, the team embraced the philosophy of being ’not the best, but good enough.’ Frigid camping trips and cowboy coffee will never be the same without the Captain.

Steve was an enthusiastic lover of polka music, a gardener, and a beekeeper for French River Apiaries. He retired in 2021 from the Raytheon Corporation following a career of more than forty years as an engineer.

Elizabeth Petter Thompson ’74

March 24, 2021| London, England Betsy was a Bancroft sandboxer and cherished the friendships she made there.

Betsy completed her senior year of high school at Northfield Mount Herman. She attended St. Lawrence University, and spent her junior year in London at the Royal Academy of Art. After receiving her B.A. in Fine Arts in 1979, she moved to London permanently. There she held a number of positions in the art field, most notably serving as the Head of Art at Ibstock Place School from 2001-2007. She had a genuine gift for recognizing and drawing out the creative spark in young people and encouraging them to develop their artistic skills.

In 2008, she opened her own art studio where she privately tutored students of all ages. For many years she maintained a 100-percent success rate with the students seeking university art scholarships, a record that was finally broken when she tutored two sisters who were competing for the same scholarship.

Betsy leaves behind her husband Brian Thompson, mother Elizabeth (Betty) Petter, sisters Barbara Putnam, Ann Petter, and Carolyn Workman, and Carolyn’s children Jack and Ella.

Matthew Shaw ’02

March 29, 2022 | Westborough, MA at 38 Matthew was the loving husband of Meagan M. (McAleavey) Shaw and a devoted father of three children: Torin A. McAleavey, Mason K. McAleavey, and Avery J. Shaw all of Westborough. Born in Concord, MA he is the son of Peter B. Shaw of Sutton and the late Mary Lee (Colgan) Shaw. In addition to his wife, kids and father he is survived by his sister and her husband, his brother his girlfriend, and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was raised in Westborough and was a 2002 graduate of St. John’s High School. He also attended Northeastern University.

When he passed Matthew was employed with PUMA. He began his time there in the digital marketing team in 2017. In his time, he worked his way up to Senior Strategist in Esports Brand Management. He took his love for e-gaming and video games and pioneered PUMA’s entry into the esports world.

Outside of work, Matt would always be spending time with his family. It was his driving force in all he did in life. His other life passions were writing, reading, playing and listening to music and playing video games.

Even when faced with the awfulness that is AML, Matthew won the hearts of all those who treated him and cared for him at Dana Farber on Yawkey 8. Never once did he show up to an appointment without a smile and drive to fight this terrible disease.

EXTENDED COMMUNITY

Elizabeth Brune (Folkers) Crawford

September 17, 2021 | Upton, MA at 76 Elizabeth Brune (Folkers) Crawford, 76, of Upton and formerly of Winchester, MA passed away peacefully on September 17, 2021 at her home. She was the beloved wife of 37 years to Christopher C. Crawford, and mother of Meredith L. (Crawford) Scaplen.

Born in Boston and raised in Winchester, MA she was the daughter of Kern E. and Margaret V.(Lambert) Folkers of Winchester, MA (both, predeceased). She attended The Emma Willard School, Troy, New York, and was a 1967 graduate of Denison University, Granville, Ohio.

Elizabeth enjoyed spending time with family and friends, traveling to Europe and across the United States, as well as vacationing with her family on Cape Cod and northern New England. Yet, what

Elizabeth valued the most was being a Mom to her only daughter, guiding her to becoming an accomplished student of classical ballet.

Barbara Elliott Fargo

October 29, 2021 | Grafton, MA at 91 Following an extraordinary and well lived life, Barbara Elliott Fargo, aka ’Bargo’ and ’Basi,’ passed peacefully in her sleep. Bargo was a woman of action and in all the very best ways, she was old school: family was primary and she was committed to their wellbeing, friends were essential, and service to one’s community and environment was one’s duty.

The daughter of a science teacher and coach at St. George’s School in Middletown, RI, she grew up loving all sports, especially team sports. She loved the camaraderie, competition, and the joy of collectively working towards a greater goal. For Bargo it was the effort not the result that inspired her. Bargo exemplified the model of thinking globally and acting locally and was dedicated to supporting organizations that proved most impacting to her community. She received the ’Distinguished Friend of Education Award’ from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary in Worcester named their new facility the ’Barbara Elliott Fargo Education Center’ as a dedication to her vision and philanthropic efforts which helped to facilitate the creation of her cherished inner-city sanctuary.

Basi believed that realizing the joys of life required initiative, especially when outside of our comfort zones. A stranger is simply a friend you haven’t met yet,’ was an ideal she shared with every child and a choice she demonstrated to every adult she met. It would be her wish that we continue her mission and vision to support through dedication and hard work organizations that educate our youth, embrace the potential of hope, and protect the precious natural world around us.

Basi was preceded by her husband Bronson Fargo; and sons Bronson, Jr. and Rob. She is survived by her son Matt; her daughters-in-law, Lisa and Melinda; six grandchildren; a greatgrandson, and llama from Nepal.

Jean Trayer McDonough

August 22, 2021 | Worcester, MA at 93 Jean was both pragmatic and chic, thoughtful and to-thepoint. She paid attention to details. She appreciated excellence. She loved dogs (cocker spaniels and Shetland sheepdogs), chocolate (dark, very rich), and well-made jackets that never went out of style. She dressed as a witch every Halloween and never broke character when her grandchildren came trick-or-treating. She is perhaps best known in central Massachusetts for decades of generous support for Worcester-area cultural institutions.

Jean was born November 24, 1927 and refused to celebrate her birthday ’on Thanksgiving’, insisting that her family gather for a birthday dinner separate from the turkey feast. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1949, and married handsome Irish chemist and entrepreneur Myles McDonough in 1952. They settled in central Massachusetts and had two sons, Mark and Neil.

Jean was a Board member and Treasurer of Flexcon Co, Inc starting in 1960. She managed the company investments from 1976 to 2005 as Flexcon expanded from a single manufacturing site in Spencer to an international company.

For over five decades Jean served as a volunteer, a board member, and a financial supporter of local cultural institutions including the Worcester Art Museum, the Hanover Theater, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, the American Antiquarian Society, the Worcester Historical Museum, and Music Worcester. She was on the Board of Trustees for the Worcester Art Museum after serving as docent for 16 years. She spent a decade on the Board of Trustees at the EcoTarium. She was on the council for the American Antiquarian Society and chaired the Education Committee. She was a corporator for the Worcester Community Foundation, and vice president of the board at the Worcester History Museum. Later, she was a member of the UMass Memorial Development Foundation. Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s Jean could often be found leading her grandchildren, one or two at a time, through the galleries at Worcester Art Museum, down a trail at Tower Hill, or to a seat at a theater for a show. She curated outings for each grandchild’s interest, though all almost invariably included a stop for chocolate.

Myles and Jean created the Myles and Jean Charitable Foundation in 1988 to continue giving to the community and institutions they loved. In 2011, Jean and Myles were honored with the Harvey Ball Smile Award, which recognizes individuals that have ’made a difference in the city of Worcester and helped people throughout the community smile.’ The outpouring of love and gratitude from the community following Myles’ death in 2012 inspired Jean to gift major contributions to her beloved local non-profits while she was still alive, so she could enjoy the experience. In 2015, Jean put this plan into action and donated $15 million to seven cultural institutions. At the announcement of this gift, she was given the key to the city of Worcester at a formal ceremony where she was surrounded by friends, colleagues, and her family. She loved the fanfare, and she looked fabulous in her outfit designed by her dear friend James Hogan.

Jean is survived by her beloved dog, her two sons, Mark and Neil, her daughter-in-law Lisa, seven grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren.

Elizabeth K. Blute

January 5, 2022 | Shrewsbury, MA at 72 Elizabeth Kennedy Blute - extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, teacher, and businesswoman passed away peacefully at her home in Shrewsbury, MA on January 5, 2022. She was 72.

Liz was born in Worcester, MA on September 16, 1949, daughter of the late William H. Kennedy, Jr., and Sally M. (McCann) Kennedy. She grew up in Worcester and lived more than 24 years in Northborough, MA before recently moving to Shrewsbury, MA. The second of four daughters, she was raised on Monadnock Road in Worcester and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1967, and in 1971 from Cardinal Cushing College in Brookline where she studied education.

She met the love of her life, Dr. Robert D. Blute, Jr., at a Forest Grove dance in 1964. Bob was besotted by her sparkling personality and megawatt smile, and at the sight of her dark hair and brown eyes a 57-year love affair began. Bob and Liz were married at Immaculate Conception Church on June 26, 1971. Soon thereafter, Liz began her career as an elementary school teacher. Liz loved children and had a special gift for communicating with them and knew how to make them feel special.

Her husband, Bob, remembers, "Liz was extremely busy managing a life with three growing children while I was usually at the hospital. I was in awe of her skill in caring for our children and filling our lives with fun and love - always with a smile - despite my long hours away. It was a joy to watch... she was magic."

Liz leaves her husband of 50 years, Dr. Robert D. Blute Jr in addition to their three children Robert D. Blute III, Matthew W. Blute, Courtney K. Blute Perna, and their spouses, seven grandchildren, two sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

Laura K. Dully

April 21, 2022 | Northborough, MA at 61 Laura “Laurie” Kay (Underhill) Dully passed away peacefully on April 21, 2022. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kevin Dully, and her parents, Robert and Marilyn (Knight) Underhill.

She is survived by her son Andrew James Dully, twin sisters Diane MacLennan and Linda Mosley, brother-in-law Brian Dully, beloved aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins. She is also survived by her two cherished golden retrievers, Molly and Bella, and her two cats Sophie and Simba.

Laura was born in Hillsdale, Michigan on August 9, 1960. She graduated from Western Michigan University in 1982 with a BA in Sociology. During her time there, she met Kevin on spring break and later married him on August 6, 1983. Laura and Kevin were blessed with their miracle baby Andrew on February 15, 2002. Laura was an active member of Pilgrim Congregational Church of Southborough. She also was a Boston Marathon finisher, an active member of the US Figure Skating Association, and a member of the Skating Club of Boston. Laura often affectionately referred to her numerous friends and family who supported her as her “Village”, which continues to support her family today. Written with love by her son, Andrew Dully.

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