Alice Crawford Chandler, a longtime resident of Marshfield, passed away peacefully at home, Saturday, March 1st.
Alice was the treasured wife of Ernest Alden Chandler, Jr. They met as teenagers and were always devoted to each other through 67 years of marriage. As her health declined over the past several years, Ernest lovingly cared for her. It was her desire to age gracefully at home, and her family is grateful to all, especially Cheryl Spencer R.N., who aided in fulfilling her wish.
She was born February 28, 1926, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, to the late Frank Erskin and Louise Ives (Welles) Crawford. A graduate of Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies and Marshfield High School, she worked in the Marshfield Post Office alongside her husband until, in her mid-thirties, they began their family by adopting children.
Alice was an exemplary mother and homemaker. She especially enjoyed gardening, flower arranging, sewing, knitting and rug braiding. She was an avid bird-watcher and participated in backyard bird counts for decades. She spent years collecting and cataloging postage stamps and post cards. She maintained a daily journal in which she recorded the local weather, as well as the flora and fauna around her home. A dedicated letter-writer, Alice kept up regular correspondence with friends and relatives long before e-mail and social media. She always appreciated the work of artists Molly Brett, Tasha Tudor and Marjolein Bastin and sent countless greetings adorned with their illustrations.
At the First Congregational Church of Marshfield, she was a Sunday School teacher, then Sunday School Superintendent for over two decades and served faithfully on numerous committees and boards, including the Trustees of the Brant Rock Union Chapel, throughout her life.
Left to cherish her memory are her children Alyssa Chandler Myers (Mark) of St. Augustine, Fla.; Christian Jon Chandler (Cara) of Ashfield; Drew Walker Chandler (Corrine) and Bonnie Chandler Conant (Lewis) of Marshfield; grandchildren Danielle Olympia and Jeremy Chandler Conant; Caithlin Elizabeth and Ryan Christian Chandler and Christian Alden Chandler; sister-in-law Jean Chandler Woodbury (Linwood) and brother-in-law Jon Lewis Chandler (Eunice); cousins Alice Turner McIntosh and Nancy Turner Campbell; godchildren Kathyln Ellis, Bonnie Piccirillo, Cathy Henderson, Todd Campbell, Clifton Bennett and Lori Malmgreen; dear friend Nancy Bennett and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was the sister of the late Frank Erskin Crawford, Jr. and Charles Welles Crawford, mother-in-law of the late Janice Beehner Chandler, sister-in-law of the late May (Card) Jessop Crawford and cousin of the late Paul Crawford Turner and John Henry H Turner III.
A service to celebrate her life will be held Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Marshfield, 1994 Ocean Street. In lieu of floral tributes, donations may be made to The First Congregational Church Organ Fund, P.O. Box 826, Marshfield, MA 02050.