Dolores Root

1950 - 2024

Dolores Root

Shelburne Falls, MA - DOLORES ROOT (Sept. 8, 1950 - July 12, 2024)

Dolores Root, a resident of Shelburne Falls for many years, died in her sleep on Friday, July 12. She would have reached her seventh-fifth year on September 8. After a resolute, oncologically informed struggle with liver cancer, Dolores chose Cooley Dickinson Hospital Hospice Care prior to expiring in the loving presence of son Josiah Simpson and daughter-in-law Vivian Black, her oldest brother Oren Root and sister-in-law Carter Crawford, and abiding partner David Levering Lewis. Daphne Root of Bedford, New York, her devoted centenarian mother, and Anthony, her youngest brother from Hong Kong, had been with her in the short days before her demise.

Dolores's full and widely traveled professional career as published anthropologist, museum director, college administrator, and academic trustee took her beyond her own Eastern United States and Europe to much of Latin America, Japan, and South Africa. She was a person of many worthy opinions (most strongly held). Those whom she welcomed to her mountaintop home envied the fabulous panorama where talk of local and world matters, the arts and gardening along with local politics and judicious gossip were always memorable takeaways.

Her opinions published in this daily newspaper sometimes provoked worthwhile controversy and were always enlightening. Never to be forgotten is Dolores's pivotal participation in activist Tahira Amatul-Wadud's campaign to defeat Representative Richard Neal for the 1st Congressional District. The bannered march through Shelburne Falls on 4 September 2018 was a wake-up call to the citizens of Franklin County.

By her wish, Dolores's cremains delivered by Smith-Kelleher Funeral Home to son Josiah Simpson and partner David Levering Lewis will be scattered at places of great beauty that Dolores loved. She is also survived by her brother Spyros, nieces Micaela, Zoe, Amelia Root and Mirna Root Gimeno, and nephews Nathaniel, Gregory, and Nicholas Root, and a pride of grandnephews and grandnieces.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Jacob's Pillow in Dolores's memory are welcomed. A private memorial service will be held soon.