Grace Underwood Scola

Grace Underwood Scola, 80, of Watch Hill and Delray Beach, Fla., died peacefully Nov. 19, 2007, in the hospice at the Delray Medical Center.
Grace graduated from Manhattanville College in N.Y. In 1951, she received a B.S. in Nursing from Boston College after which she was a director of nursing at Worcester City Hospital. She earned a Masters in Education from Worcester State College in 1974 and a CAGS from UMass at Amherst in 1978.
Formerly married to the Hon. Robert N. Scola, Grace was very active in the Republican Party and the arts. She hosted parties at her home for former First Lady Patricia Nixon, Mass. Governor John Volpe, numerous other politicians and a variety of entertainers including pianist, Liberace.
Grace was an avid volunteer, giving of her time for various causes from literacy programs to soup kitchens. She was an accomplished artist, enjoying painting on velvet and creating stained glass artwork.
During the summer months she enjoyed gardening at her home, and spending time at the beach. She opened her beach to neighborhood families so that everyone could enjoy the Rhode Island beach that she so loved.
Grace was an adventurous traveler, visiting the Far East to walk the Great Wall of China, see the pyramids of Egypt, and tour through Turkey, Israel, Europe, Hawaii and Panama.
In 1971, Grace was one of the first in the country to teach the then controversial Health and Safety Sex Education Course, which she taught at South H.S. in Worcester. After leaving teaching in 1981, she moved to Florida and returned to nursing. In 1983, she accepted a position for two years at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Upon her return from Saudi Arabia, she worked in various nursing homes in Delray Beach and Westerly until her retirement in 2000.
Grace is survived by her six children, Atty. Nunziata S. Reynolds and her husband Tucker of Medway, Mass., Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. and his wife Judge Jacqueline Scola of Coral Gables, Fla., Grace Gay Penney of Laguna Beach, Calif., Atty. Anthony J. Scola of Holden, Mass., Atty. James F. Scola and his wife Michele of Holden, Mass. and Atty. Nicholas R. Scola and his wife Jill of Griswold, Conn., and 14 grandchildren. She also leaves two brothers, F. Milot Underwood of Harwich, Mass. and Col. Joseph Underwood and his wife Michele of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Grace's family will greet relatives and friends at the Athy Memorial Home, 111 Lancaster St., Worcester, Mass., on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 3 to 6 p.m.
A celebration of Grace's life will be held at the funeral home on Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Christmas "Toys for Tots" program by bringing an unwrapped toy to the funeral home or making a donation to your nearest "Toys for Tots" drive.