Mom recently passed away. She was an amazing person, and I’ll miss her much. Here is the obituary that my sister and I wrote:

Dolores (Dee) Grace Grenier, aged 81, passed away on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at Clover Healthcare, Auburn, Maine.

Dee was born on February 16, 1938 to Harmen and Grace Towsley of Baldwinsville, New York. She attended Charles W. Baker High School, Class of 1956, Baldwinsville, New York, and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Home Economics from the SUNY Oneonta, Class of 1960. She taught home economics for many years at both the middle school and high school level in Watkins Glen, New York; Bloomfield, Connecticut; and Rumford, Maine. She was particularly proud of the work that she developed on the first curriculum for New York State for the mentally challenged. Her final teaching position was in the Functional Life Skills Program at the HOPE Association in Rumford, Maine.

There were several common threads woven throughout the fabric of her life. Dee had clear core values. She promoted inclusion for all. It was her job to empower those without the social skills to learn how to interact in appropriate, relevant ways. She believed that the educational environment was also an important teacher. She worked tirelessly to create a classroom that sparked creativity and stimulated thought and growth. Her cooking and baking were a way to cause people to gather and create community.

Dee is survived by Donald J. Grenier, her husband of 54 years, her daughter and son-in-law, Jacque and Joe Russo, her son, Daniel J. Grenier, and grandsons, Noah Grenier-Farwell and Vincent and Gavin Russo. She will be laid to rest with her mother at Greenlawn Cemetery, Warners, New York. In lieu of a service, please send cards and/or flowers to 440 Pine Street, Rumford, ME 04276.