Mary Eileen (Meme) English of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was born in 1951 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, to Mary Patricia (Pat) English (née Sheehan) and Donald Browand English. Meme was known in her small Scott Street neighborhood for riding her bike along streets lined with cousins and close friends, traveling between neighbors' and grandparents' homes. Meme always knew what was going on with all of the neighborhood families. She stayed in close contact with her cousins and many childhood friends and neighbors her whole life. She had a real knack for remembering birthdays and keeping in touch.
Meme graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2001 with a doctoral degree in Counseling and Education. Postdoctorally, she completed fellowships in infant-parent bonding and attachment assessment.
She is remembered fondly for her passionate and tireless advocacy for children, parents, and families. Her kindness and compassion were felt deeply at countless community-oriented places of work, including Lutheran Services, where she provided counseling to unaccompanied refugee minors being resettled in the Valley from Cambodia and Vietnam, and Brightwood Health Center in Springfield, where she ran a group for incarcerated mothers and led a counseling team.
More recently, Meme worked as an expert witness on attachment and bonding in pediatric foster care court cases, offering her perspective on the importance of representing children and their needs at the center. She was actively involved with A Home Within, a group of therapists providing pro bono counseling services to parents and children in the foster care system.
Meme is survived by her spouse, Margaret (Peggy) Perri, with whom she spent the last 31 years; her beloved dogs, Mochi and Simba; four children: Joni Schriver, Kate English and fiancé Ed, Adam English and wife Faith, and Dan Morbyrne and wife Ellen; seven grandchildren: Chloe (26), Cooper (20), Finn (16), Asha (14), Ava (12), Henry (8), and Elliott (6); her sister, Priscilla, and brother, Matthew; nieces and nephews; and many dear cousins, colleagues, and friends.
Meme was a great friend—many called her their best. She was brave and inspired bravery, honesty, and trust in those around her.
We will miss her and continue to carry her memory and goodwill in our hearts and loving actions. Every bird. Every song. Every first pitch and final inning. Every spring morning.
Meme passed peacefully in her home on Friday, December 19th, after several months of health challenges associated with chronic and life-limiting illness. She and her family received excellent and compassionate hospice care that they will be forever grateful for. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Meme's name to Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice at cooleydickinson.org/giving/vna-hospice-giving.
Meme graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2001 with a doctoral degree in Counseling and Education. Postdoctorally, she completed fellowships in infant-parent bonding and attachment assessment.
She is remembered fondly for her passionate and tireless advocacy for children, parents, and families. Her kindness and compassion were felt deeply at countless community-oriented places of work, including Lutheran Services, where she provided counseling to unaccompanied refugee minors being resettled in the Valley from Cambodia and Vietnam, and Brightwood Health Center in Springfield, where she ran a group for incarcerated mothers and led a counseling team.
More recently, Meme worked as an expert witness on attachment and bonding in pediatric foster care court cases, offering her perspective on the importance of representing children and their needs at the center. She was actively involved with A Home Within, a group of therapists providing pro bono counseling services to parents and children in the foster care system.
Meme is survived by her spouse, Margaret (Peggy) Perri, with whom she spent the last 31 years; her beloved dogs, Mochi and Simba; four children: Joni Schriver, Kate English and fiancé Ed, Adam English and wife Faith, and Dan Morbyrne and wife Ellen; seven grandchildren: Chloe (26), Cooper (20), Finn (16), Asha (14), Ava (12), Henry (8), and Elliott (6); her sister, Priscilla, and brother, Matthew; nieces and nephews; and many dear cousins, colleagues, and friends.
Meme was a great friend—many called her their best. She was brave and inspired bravery, honesty, and trust in those around her.
We will miss her and continue to carry her memory and goodwill in our hearts and loving actions. Every bird. Every song. Every first pitch and final inning. Every spring morning.
Meme passed peacefully in her home on Friday, December 19th, after several months of health challenges associated with chronic and life-limiting illness. She and her family received excellent and compassionate hospice care that they will be forever grateful for. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Meme's name to Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice at cooleydickinson.org/giving/vna-hospice-giving.
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