Obituary of Grace Spillane

Grace Spillane, 92, formally of Feeding Hills Road, Southwick, Massachusetts died October 6, 2014 in Sanford, Maine from complications of vascular dementia. Grace was born in West Hartford, Conn. on April 22, 1922. She was also a summer resident of Great Island, Lake Sunapee NH for over 40 years. She was a 1940 graduate of the Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, CT. She graduated from Syracuse University, NY in 1944 and earned a masters degree in Social Work from Columbia University, N.Y. in 1948. Grace was married to the late Albert R. Spillane for 48 years. She had spent many years working as a licensed social worker for private agencies in Syracuse, NY, Manchester NH, Boston and Springfield, MA. She was a board member of the former Westfield MA Child Guidance Clinic and a charter member of the original Westfield Area Mental Health and Retardation Board. She was active in the Southwick MA community for over 30 years serving as a trustee of the library, on Southwick Democratic Town Committee, Southwick Ecumenical Refugee Resettlement Committee, as well as a Girl Scout leader and CCD instructor at Our Lady of Lake Church of Southwick. Grace was a champion of causes particularly animal rights and environmental concerns. She read at least three newspapers a day staying well informed on many issues. The highlight of each day was a walk in her beloved woods in which she could identify birds, plants and natural signs and was always eager to share her discoveries. The art and writing classes at the Southwick Senior Center became very important in her later years. Grace moved to Maine in 2004 to spend her last years with her daughter and family. She is survived by her daughter, Grace S. Jacobs of Shapleigh Maine and her husband Mark and their 2 daughters, Eliza and Caroline; as well as her stepchildren: Sharon Morey of Hutchinson, KS and her son, Alan. Shaun Spillane and his wife Bonnie of Ottawa Lake, MI and their 2 daughters Deanna & Sherry. Barry Spillane and his wife Eileen of Palmer MA and their 3 daughters Jennifer, Laurie and Amy; as well as many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her parents, her brothers Dick and Bob and 2 step grandsons, Paul and Brandon. There will be no calling hours and burial with a graveside service will be at the convenience of the family in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford, CT. Memorial Donations can be made to the Friends of the Southwick Public Library, 95 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick, MA 01077 or to The Jackson Laboratory dedicated to finding the causes of some of the world’s most intractable diseases including: cancer, diabetes & Alzheimer’s disease: The Jackson Laboratory, Office of Advancement, P. O. Box 254, Bar Harbor, ME 04609-0254. A special thank you to the staff at The Lodges, The Pavilion and the Newton Center in Sanford, Maine for their tender loving care and devotion to Grace in her final years.