NOREEN ANN AVERY

1937 - 2020

AVERY, Noreen Ann (Paiva) Noreen devoted her life to educating young children as a passionate and patient kindergarten and first grade teacher. She wove her joy of teaching into her own journey of lifelong learning and nurtured her children and grandchildren by encouraging their own learning explorations through challenging arts and crafts, musical, culinary, or cultural adventures she lovingly created for them. Born in Fall River, MA on January 5, 1937 as the only child of Lucy and John Paiva, she spent her childhood in the midst of a closely knit Portuguese community and in the company of her favorite cousin, Joe Raposo, Jr. with whom she shared a love of music and mischievous fun, and remained close to his parents and her aunt and uncle, Sarah and Joseph Raposo, Sr., caring for them like a daughter until their passing. Educated at Bridgewater State College and Lesley College, Noreen ventured to Misawa, Japan for one of her first teaching assignments, to educate the children of armed forces stationed at the Misawa Air Force Base. Her love for Japan never left her and influenced her taste in food, fashion, and home décor. After returning stateside, she met and married her loving husband, Dalton Avery, and the two moved to Ithaca, NY where she continued her teaching career and started their family while he pursued graduate studies. Their lives there were filled with the support and camaraderie of a raucous group of young, fellow graduate students. After Ithaca, Noreen and Dalton settled in Belmont, MA, where they made their home for many years. Nestled in that community, she served as the devoted wife of Dalton for 56 years, loving mother of three children (John Avery and his wife Jill of Cambridge, MA, Deanna Avery and her husband Roger Davies of Los Angeles, CA, Douglas Avery and his wife Pascha of Los Angeles, CA), and dedicated grandmother to five grandchildren, Tess Avery, Larson Avery, Carlo Davies, Dalton Avery and Lily Avery, each of whom received much love and encouragement from her and all of whom remember and cherish their special times together. Noreen taught kindergarten and first grade for over 30 years, most of them in Arlington, MA and Belmont, MA. Her most enduring and memorable teaching experience was at Mary Lee Burbank School in Belmont, MA where she taught first grade for 23 years, helped shape the lives of generations of students, and is fondly remembered for her commitment to her students' success and her compassionate but no-nonsense approach with students and their families. Over the years, she generously mentored graduate students of education at Lesley, sharing her knowledge of her craft and her best practices for a well-functioning classroom. An early advocate of the METCO program, a program intended to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation by permitting students in certain cities to attend public schools in other communities that have agreed to participate, Noreen volunteered to be one of the first host families in Belmont and was committed to goals of opening educational access to all. Her METCO students recall her welcoming, caring, and empathetic nature. She enjoyed the friendships of many as a member of the Belmont Garden Club, as a founder and hostess of a long-standing book club in the Belmont community, and as a member of the choir of St. Peter's Church in Cambridge. She was happiest when engrossed in a new book, toiling away in her garden, playing a duet on the piano with a grandchild, or walking the beaches of Chatham, Cape Cod where she and her family owned a home for two decades. Over the past few years, Noreen and Dalton made their home at Newbury Court in Concord. Noreen passed away peacefully on April 8, 2020 from complications related to Alzheimer's. It is her family's intent to gather together this summer to remember Noreen and celebrate her life. We will remember her patience and wry sense of humor, her pragmatic approach and her forthright nature, her intelligence and her kindness, and how much love she exhibited for life and for all of us. We ask that memorial gifts be directed to St. Francis House, 39 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 and Care Dimensions Hospice, Suite B-102, 75 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923. For complete obituary and guestbook, please visit www.brownandhickey.com