Walpole Obituary: Irene A. MacPherson

Irene (Abbott) "Abby" MacPherson, 88, of Singer Island, FL and Walpole, MA, died on July 12, 2012. Beloved wife of 65 years to Kenneth P. MacPherson, loving and adored mother to four children and their families: Laurie and Bruce Chalmers and their children, Anne Irene, James, and Thomas; Bruce and Janet MacPherson and their children David, Brian, and Amanda; Douglas and Sharon MacPherson and their children Heather, Douglas, and Abbott; Jean Muir and her children, Carrie, Christie, and Kenny. She is also survived by four great-grandchildren, Madeleine, Cora, and Lillian Fleming, children of Anne Irene and her husband Keith Fleming, and Brady Chalmers, son of James Chalmers and his wife Katelyn. Abby was devoted to her husband and family. They were the world to her, and she to them. Abby was born in Palmyra, NY graduated from Abbot Academy in 1942 and Mount Holyoke College in 1946. A talented musician and artist, Abby was a classically trained pianist with perfect pitch who delighted in playing for her extended family be it Christmas Carols at the annual family Christmas party or classical pieces. She sang in choral groups in college, and was a long time choir member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Westwood, MA. She also was an accomplished painter and sculptor whose artworks adorn the homes of her children. Abby lived in Boston, Cambridge, Reading, Westwood and Walpole. When Abby first graduated from college, she worked as a Comparison Shopper for Filenes in Boston. She was active in Camp Fire Girls, Cub Scouts, Brownies, PTA, St. John's Episcopal Church, The Red Cross, and The Home for Little Wanderers. She worked as a travel consultant at the Wellesley Colpitts Travel Agency which she owned jointly with her husband. She and Ken traveled extensively throughout the world, including visits to five foster children in Katmandu, Nepal. She and Ken moved to Singer Island, Florida in 1977 and spent summers in Walpole, Massachusetts and Bridgton, Maine. Abby was a lifelong tennis player who played at many clubs including Woodland Golf Club in Auburndale, Massachusetts and Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She also was a ballroom dancer with Ken and they traveled to many competitions, bringing home trophies to the delight of their family. She was a lieutenant in the West Palm Beach Power Squadron and enjoyed many trips in Florida and to the Bahamas with the Power Squadron. She was a member of Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach. A memorial service will be celebrated at a later date at St. John's Episcopal Church in Westwood, MA. Donations may be made in Abby's memory to The American Red Cross, 825 Fern St., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Arrangements by the Holden, Dunn & Lawler Funeral Home, Westwood, MA. www.hdlfuneralhome.net.