More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The Wellesley College community and beyond is mourning the death of Class of 1964 alum Cokie Roberts, the prominent political journalist for NPR, ABC and other outlets who passed away this week at the age of 75.
Robert delivered the commencement address at Wellesley College in 1994, and urged grads to make their own choices (not that many choices won’t still be made for you, as she noted).
More: Notable Wellesley College Alumnae
Olivia “Livi” Wigon, Wellesley High School Class of 2016, passed away on Wednesday, June 5. At the time of her death she was on summer break from the University of Miami, where she double majored in Marine Affairs and Human and Social Development. Her lifelong curious spirit took her from the WHS Evolutions program to The Island School, Eleuthera, The Bahamas; to Israel, and beyond.
Olivia leaves her parents, Timothy and Jennifer (Hanlon) Wigon; her sister, Dorothy (WHS, Class of 2014); her brother, Sam (WHS, Class of 2019); and many friends and relatives both close to home and around the world.
The cause of death was suicide. The family wanted to share this information with the community as a step toward de-stigmatizing depression and its sometimes tragic outcomes. Jennifer Wigon said, “We especially want our community to know that Livi battled depression, and suicide was the awful, tragic result, but not an inevitable one. We had hope, and others should, too. There are resources. It just seems so many kids are suffering.”
A memorial service will be held at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Rd., Wellesley, on Monday, June 10, 2019, 2pm. Immediately following, the family will observe shiva at Temple Beth Elohim until 4:30pm. Shiva will continue at the Wigon home on Monday and Tuesday, June 10 and 11, 7pm – 9pm. Burial will be private.
Donations may be sent in Olivia’s name to the Shark Research & Conservation Program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
For us here at Swellesley, this tragedy is personal. We stand with our dear friends and bear witness to a heartbreak that is impossible to comprehend. Our deepest condolences to the Wigon family.
Wellesley High School, available supports
Town of Wellesley, Community Social Worker, Health Department
Town of Wellesley, mental health resources page, an overview
Important phone numbers and other information on local mental health resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website and hotline number 800-273-8255
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Principal Jamie Chisum in a letter to the community enclosed a document entitled, “Helping Students Cope with Tragic Loss”, co-written by Dr.’s Rob Evans and Mark Kline from Human Relations Service here in town noting that, “It is an excellent tool for all of us to read through as we support our children.” Here is a link to the document. Chisum also encourages all families to reach out to the school “if there are additional ways we can help your kids.”
We are sorry to hear the news that Gerald Murphy has died. The lifelong Wellesley resident was a legendary Wellesley High School teacher for nearly 40 years, retiring in 2002. He also served on the School Committee, Wellesley Education Foundation board, and as a Town Meeting member. His career also included work at Boston University, where he served as a lecturer and supervisor of student teachers.
Visitation will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley, Friday, April 5, 2pm – 4pm and 6pm – 8pm. Funeral service at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St., Wellesley, Saturday, April 6 at 10am. Reception will be held at the church after the service.
Check out this 1979 Washington Post story headlined A Yearning for Great Teachers, written by WHS graduate Richard Preston, in which Murphy figures prominently in the last third of the story.
Our condolences to Gerry’s family, friends, and the many students whose lives he touched.
Residents of Wellesley and beyond are mourning Mike Kamio, a local husband and dad of three who made his mark at home as well as in the community. He passed away suddenly on Feb. 8 after suffering a heart attack.
As the owner of Anna’s Taqueria, which opened its first restaurant in the mid-1990s, Mike was generous in providing food for many a local event, including numerous school sports banquets.
While we didn’t have the pleasure of knowing this California native personally, he knew us. Mike was kind enough to pass along a tip a few years ago about an accomplishment by a friend of his.
Mike’s friends have reached out to us to make sure we knew about this sad news, and could pass along information to those wishing to attend services. Family and friends will celebrate his life at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church on Friday, Feb. 15 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a reception in the community room. Visitation will be at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home at 477 Washington Street (Rt. 16) in Wellesley on Thursday, February 14th from 4:00 — 7:00 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited.
We pass along our condolences to Mike’s family and friends.
Wellesley and beyond is heartbroken this holiday season following the tragic news that resident Dr. Judith Pinsker died on Sunday in a hiking accident while with family and friends in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Reports of the accident, which took place on Frankenstein Cliff Trail in Hart’s Location, NH., shook Wellesley as word spread on Monday morning following an announcement by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Dr. Pinsker, a 57-year-old mother of two who worked as a primary care physician at Tufts Medical Center, loved to spend time outdoors with her family and friends, according to her obituary. Her interests also included playing flute with the Wellesley Town Band.
She is survived by her husband Dr. Benjamin Smith, and sons Eric and Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith.
Smith told the Boston Globe that his wife of 27 years “was a force of nature. She maintained so many different activities in addition to her work.”
Swellesley readers who knew Dr. Pinsker or only heard of the tragedy shared their thoughts:
“I’ve known Judy since second grade,” wrote one friend. “She made her academic and social marks early and never stopped. But most of us loved her for her dry wit, equally dry yet profound philosophical thoughts, devotion and generosity to friends, and yes, her many and varied accomplishments.”
A patient of Dr. Pinsker’s wrote: “A patient could not have had a more compassionate primary care doctor. I will miss her very much.”
A visitation will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. (Rt.16), Wellesley on Friday, Dec. 28, from 4-8pm. A private service will follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Timmy Global Health at 22 East 22nd Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202.
We extend our condolences to family and friends.
The Wellesley Library got a little quieter this month with the passing of beloved librarian Joellen (nee Maloney) Toussaint, 78, a long-time Wellesley resident whose mark was left in every nook of the town. Usually a person’s obituary is cobbled together without that person’s input, by someone who doesn’t really know her. In Joellen’s case, the former incisive interviewer from her years as a newscaster for Wellesley Public Television inadvertently practically wrote her own obit. She was recently interviewed and photographed by Beth Shedd, the lens behind a popular Instagram account she uses as a creative outlet for her amazing portraits and stories of town residents who touch her artistic soul.
In the interview, Joellen’s positive nature, lifelong curiosity, and deep intelligence was revealed. She ticked off the basics: she was raised in Bedford and attended Concord Academy and Skidmore College, where she majored in Politics and History, and minored in Drama. She worked at the Council on Aging for ten years, and ran a book group there. She was a Town Meeting member for over 40 years, active with the Democratic Town Committee, and was a past president of the League of Women Voters.
But that only tells part of her story. More important are the details that tell you about who Joellen really was. Always a book lover, when Joellen moved to town in 1966 she worked at the Book Stall, located where Quebrada is now. It’s a place that lives on only through the legacy knowledge of Wellesley’s old-timers. You can’t Google search the Book Stall. You had to be there, at this small spot where those who were there fondly remember the book-store smell of the place and of following up the visit with a stop at the adjacent Brigham’s ice cream shop, which sadly melted down in 2009.
When the Book Stall closed its final chapter, Joellen opened another chapter of her own. She began working at the Wellesley Free Library, and did so for over 35 years where she became a fixture behind the circulation desk. It should come as no surprise that education was important in her family. In Beth’s interview, Joellen said that “…her father was insistent that she get an excellent education and was more than concerned that her high school friends had voted her the class “Social Butterfly” (and worse yet, that the title was included in college transcripts). Joellen loved drama but figured she wasn’t good enough to go to Hollywood…”
She was a self-professed news junkie who kept an upbeat attitude. When asked how she remained hopeful in the face of so much negativity in the news, Joellen said, “I don’t know if we are born with it or we can learn it, but I believe that positive people should help other people get more positive. I do it by sympathizing and listening a lot and telling them that things aren’t that bad.”
WFL Assistant Director Elise MacLennan said about her: “Joellen was one of a kind, a lot of steel and a big personality in a tiny woman. At her funeral service, her son recalled how she used to read to them from the Winnie the Pooh books by A.A. Milne.”
We all know about Pooh, the small bear that took up such a big part of Christopher Robin’s heart. Joellen also had that effect on those who knew and loved her.
Joellen was a member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley, where her Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband, and one of her four children. A sister, six grandchildren, many extended family members and friends survive her.
You can donate in Joellen’s name to the Wellesley Food Pantry, money or food. They always need both, especially at this time of year.
Join Kathleen Fahey for a 90-minute walking tour of Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery and its connections to Wellesley.
Founded in 1831, Mount Auburn was the nation’s first rural garden cemetery and is the final resting place of many Wellesley residents. Kathleen will explore the monuments and beautiful landscaping of this historic site while focusing on well-known Wellesley residents who are interred there such as H.H. Hunnewell, Isaac Sprague V, Alice Cheney Baltzell, Thomas Morton and more.
Mount Auburn Cemetery is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge.
You must RSVP to WHS Director Amanda Fisher at [email protected] if interested in attending, as the cemetery limits the size of tour groups.
The tour will begin promptly at 2:00 pm at the Asa Gray Garden on Lawn Ave which is near the Mount Auburn Street entrance to the cemetery.
Visitors may drive into the cemetery and park on any road that does not have a green line.
*The tour will last approximately 90 minutes and will include walking on paved roads, grass, and gravel paths.
The walking tour is free for Wellesley Historical Society members and $5 for non-members.