MITCHELL CHESTER

CHESTER, Mitchell Who served as the State's Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner for nearly a decade, died of cancer Monday evening at the age of 65. Chester was appointed to the helm of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2008 to oversee the state's K-12 school system and was the longest-serving chief state school officer in the country. He will long be remembered for his diligence and dedication to the state's students.Commissioner Chester began his career as an elementary school teacher in Connecticut and later worked at the Connecticut State Education Department and the School District of Philadelphia. Before joining DESE, he was the senior associate superintendent for policy and accountability at the Ohio Department of Education. Commissioner Chester was the son of Herbert Chester, and Zelda Chester. He leaves his wife Angela Sangeorge and son Nicholas of Winchester; four other adult children, Mikhail Chester and wife Rebecca of Scottsdale, Ariz., Jamie Rose and wife, Trinity of Surprise, Ariz., Tiffany Rose of Falmouth and Sarah Chester of Somerville; and two granddaughters, Darien and Brooklyn, with one more little boy to arrive in July. Commissioner Chester is also survived by his brother Phillip and wife, Emily Chester of West Hartford, CT and his sister Jan Chester of Sarasota, FL. Services will be private, and a memorial will be planned for later this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends and family consider donating to Habitat for Humanity, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Massachusetts Wonderfund, Inc., or the scholarship fund in his memory that will be announced at the memorial.

View the online memorial for Mitchell CHESTER