Loretta Edna Dyson

Loretta was born on February 18, 1925 at Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT, to William Gregory Marks and Elizabeth (Murphy) Marks, and died peacefully on July 24, 2023 at Saint Mary Home in West Hartford, CT. A proud scholar, constant reader, classical music lover and NY Times crossword puzzle solver (in pen), she attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy in West Hartford, where she was Class President and Valedictorian. She graduated in the class of 1946 from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, where she received a BA in French, and was one of three graduating students to receive highest honors. She went on to earn a Master of Education/Counseling from the University of Hartford in the class of 1971, and she was named a Distinguished Alumna by Saint Joseph College and also by the University of Hartford (recognized jointly with her son, David Dyson, a first for this distinction). She married Raymond Dyson, Jr., in Hartford, CT, in 1948. They lived in West Hartford until 1968 when they moved to Rocky Hill, CT to continue raising their six children. Loretta was known for her cheerful, always positive disposition.

As a guidance counselor and Latin teacher at South Catholic High School in Hartford, Loretta helped students find their right path in life for over twenty years, and she has many former students who fondly remember Mrs. Dyson and the difference she made in their lives. After retirement, in honor of her late son, Bill, she remained active doing volunteer work through the 1990s and 2000s, into her late 80s, for people with HIV/AIDS through Tabor House (founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph), Mercy House, and AIDS Project Hartford. The annual Tabor GIANT Tag Sale that she helped organize and run for 23 years raised over $250,000. Providentially, the 2011 Tabor Tag Sale was the nexus for her friend, fellow volunteer, and 7:30am mass attendee, Rick, becoming her daughter Laura's kidney donor. A woman of deep faith, Loretta valued her service as a Lay Associate of the Sisters of Mercy, particularly her ministry planning social outings for women with AIDS and their children. She was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox (as her beloved cat Fenway would attest) and was proud to be named a Community MVP by the New England Patriots for her impactful volunteer work.

Loretta was preceded in death by her husband of sixty years, Raymond Dyson, and her son, William "Bill" Dyson and his partner Jim Smith, both of London. She is survived by five children: Raymond Dyson (Brenda) of Old Saybrook, CT; Elaine Pandolfe (William) of Billerica, MA; Joyce Lipkin (David) of Pittsburgh, PA; David Dyson (Lih-Ling Chern) of West Hartford, CT; and Laura Evancho (John) of Peoria, IL. Lovingly known as both Grandma and Dannah, she is survived by her grandchildren: Anne Sarco (Dean) and Matt Dyson (Katherine) of Los Angeles, CA; Elizabeth Attardi (Joseph) of Billerica, MA; Lauren Gray (Alex) of Jamaica Plain, MA; Brian Lipkin (Gina) of Pittsburgh, PA; Kevin Lipkin (Amy Nagengast) of San Francisco, CA; Greg Dyson of Philadelphia, PA; Alex Dyson of Farmington, CT; Kathryn and Sean Dyson of West Hartford, CT; and Ruth, Julia and Sophie Evancho of Peoria, IL. Her family also includes her great-grandchildren: Paloma, Flora, and Luella Sarco; Joey Rae and Layla Dyson; Benjamin Attardi; Emerson Gray; Charlotte and Henry Lipkin; and Cleo and Ellis Naglin. She also leaves many nieces and nephews.

Loretta was happiest when her whole family came together every year at Christmas to eat her famous roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and open all of the gifts that she had acquired throughout the year for each of them. She recently expressed that when you lose a parent, you lose your greatest cheerleader. She certainly was the greatest cheerleader for every single member of her large family and will be dearly missed. Ad astra!

A mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday, August 25 at 10:00 am at St. Elizabeth Seton Church (of which Loretta was a founding member), 280 Brook Street, Rocky Hill, CT.

To honor Loretta's love of rescued cats, memorial donations are requested for the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111.