Grace P. Houle

PITTSFIELD -- Grace P. Houle, 84, of 7 Velma Ave., died Wednesday at Berkshire Medical Center.

Born in Pittsfield on July 31, 1922, daughter of Archibald and Catherine Nethery Houston, she was a 1940 graduate of Pittsfield High School.

Primarily a homemaker, Mrs. Houle worked in bookkeeping for the former England Brothers department store and for Colt Insurance Agency, and in the sales department at the former A.H. Rice Co.

She was a communicant of St. Teresa's Church and a member of the Class of 1940 Reunion Committee. She enjoyed knitting, cross-stitch, sewing and gardening.

Her husband, Joseph A. Houle, whom she married Feb. 15, 1943, died Oct. 3, 1992.

She leaves two daughters, Catherine A. Leonard of Pittsfield and JoAnn G. Lacey of Bumpass, Va.; a sister, Beverly Blaisdell of Chapel Hill, N.C.; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Her son, Robert T. Houle, died Jan. 18, 1971.

FUNERAL NOTICE -- A Liturgy of Christian Burial for Grace P. Houston Houle, who died Wednesday, April 25, 2007, will be celebrated Tuesday, May 1, at 10 a.m. at St. Teresa's Church by the Rev. Mark Mengel, SSC, pastor. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Friends of Renal Dialysis or to the charity of one's choice, both in care of DERY FUNERAL HOME, 54 Bradford St., Pittsfield. Mrs. Houle was predeceased by a son-in-law, James F. Leonard, on Oct. 8, 2006. She also leaves several nieces and nephews.