Dorothy Page

Dorothy (Betty) (Hays) Page of East Longmeadow died on May 24, 2021. She was the daughter of the late J. Frank and Dorothy L. Hays, formerly of West Springfield. Mrs. Page was a graduate of West Springfield High School and Westfield State College where she was elected to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and had a long career in education. She was employed for several years in the Mass Migrant Education Program and for over 30 years as a teacher in the Springfield Public Schools. She served at Washington, Freedman, Armory, and DeBerry Schools and was an itinerant social studies resource teacher for all Springfield elementary schools. In this role, she celebrated several historic events in costume and is remembered as “Grandma Pride,” a curriculum she created to teach character education. Dorothy loved and took great pride in her family. Her husband, Ernest H. Page, predeceased her in 2017. She is survived by her children F. Edward of East Longmeadow, William D. of Townsend, MA, Elizabeth A. Goldfarb and her husband Edward of Hingham, MA, Laurel L. Ackerman and her husband Mark of Broad Brook, CT, and Charles W. and wife Michelle of Simsbury, CT. Another son, Ronald E. predeceased her in 2000.  She also leaves 8 grandchildren: Drew, Jamison, Chad, and Lauren Goldfarb; Niles and Dean Ackerman; and Samantha and Alyssa Page; and her cherished great-grandson, Henry. Her brother, James Hays and wife Elizabeth of Lunenburg, MA, and sister, Ruth Hays of Wilbraham survive her. She was active for many years in the East Longmeadow Scholarship Foundation, volunteered for East Longmeadow Senior Center and Massachusetts Association for the Blind as a companion to the elderly and was a member of First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow. After retiring she continued to substitute frequently in Springfield Schools, a pursuit that allowed her to enjoy her longtime love of children and teaching. She also brought the Doll Ministry to several nursing homes. A graveside service will be held for Dorothy on June 4th at 10:30 am at Billings Hill Cemetery, located at the intersection of Prospect Street and Pease Road in East Longmeadow. A gathering will be held following the burial at noon at La Cucina (the Hampden House) in Hampden, MA. All friends and family members are welcome. For those who choose, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Children’s Miracle Network, https://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/donate/ or Trinity Hospice, 200 Hillside Circle, Suite 3,West Springfield, MA 01089. For more information or to offer an online condolence please visit www.ByronKeenan.com.