Joseph Eaton Dewey

Joseph Eaton Dewey passed away at his home in Williamstown on November 9 at the age of 99. He was born May 1, 1926 in Cleveland Ohio to Daniel Dewey of Worcester, MA and Edith Ide French Dewey of Saratoga, NY. He was predeceased by his three siblings, Daniel, Winsor and Edith. As a boy Joe was very close to Winsor, being only one year apart, and the two shared many adventures. The family spent summers in Williamstown with the Eaton and Ide families. Joe enlisted in the Navy at 17 and was trained as a signalman. From June 19 1943 until his honorable discharge on March 17 1946 he served in the Pacific on a minesweeper. His ship was lost in the 1945 typhoon Louise in Okinawa, with all crew members being safely rescued. Despite this harrowing experience, Joe kept a lifelong love for being on the water and working with boats, a passion he shared with his father. With his Navy service behind him, Joe turned to his education. Following his father, and many other Deweys before them, he enrolled at Williams College. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in English Literature. Joe remained in Williamstown for the rest of his long life. He and his first wife, Joy Anne Ross (Williams Dept. of Dance), built a house on the family property on Ide Road and raised four daughters, Melissa Gilbert, Alexandra Dewey, Angelica Dewey and Sarah Windsor. Joe followed his interest in books and art and opened a bookstore to serve the public, students and faculty of Williams at the head of Spring Street. The Williams Bookstore served the town from 1957 to 1989 when Joe took his retirement. Joe became a hospice volunteer and continued this service in addition to Recording for the Blind. Joe was an avid, skier, runner and tennis player for most of his life. He and Joy bought a house on Block Island, RI following the death of his mother. The family spent summers on the island and, with more time to pursue his interests, Joe began a journey with wooden boats that he lovingly sailed and cared for. Joe was deeply influenced by various art forms throughout his life. He worked in stone sculpture, plaster, wood and collage, amassing an intricate and sophisticated body of work. He explored an assortment of cameras and photography in his dark room work. He both made and collected art throughout his life, which he shared with family and friends. Joe was a man of intense creativity and curiosity, a poet, and reader of all manner of literature, art books and poetry. All of the arts played a large role in the home he and Joy created. Among friends and family members his sharp but subtle wit was legendary. Joe married his second wife, Willemina Kramer, in 1985. After nearly 40 years of marriage she predeceased him in 2024 at 96. They spent their retirement as hospice volunteers and traveled frequently in Europe. They left the house on Ide Road in 2006 and spent their remaining years at Greylock Village. Joe's final wish was to die at home under hospice care. After a short illness he spent his last days surrounded by his daughters and grandchildren at home. His family is grateful for his dedicated caregivers and the many weekends shared in his final years. Hopefully he is on the water or slopes, or in deep conversation with Marcel Duchamp, Cole Porter or John Ashbery. He will be deeply missed by his loving family and the town that sustained him. A celebration of life will be held in the spring. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.