Priscilla Alden (Crocker) Archibald, 92, died suddenly in her home at the Village at Duxbury, on July 15, 2013.
Born December 4, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts to Elsie Tyler (Goodhue) and George Herbert Crocker, Jr. Priscilla and her sister, Margaret "Peggy", grew up in Chestnut Hill from where she attended the Chestnut Hill School and Winsor School.
During the war, she attended classes at Harvard Engineering School. Priscilla married Frederick Ascough Archibald, Jr. "Fred" in December 1942 and in 1948, they moved to Dedham, MA where they raised three sons, Frederick A. Archibald, III "Rick", Andrew C. Archibald "Sandy", and William F. Archibald "Bill".
The family would split their summers between Duxbury, MA and Canaan, NH where Priscilla's mother, Elsie, and uncle, Merrill M Goodhue, summered in an ancestral home. Priscilla and Fred moved to Duxbury year round in 1980.
Priscilla was an artist. She saw and captured the beauty of design in many things. As a youth, she would paint, draw, sketch, and dabble in clothes design. As an adult, her passion was horticulture. She excelled in flower arranging and was exceptionally active in both the Boston Junior League Garden Club and the Duxbury Garden Club. She mastered the Japanese art of flower arrangement, Ikebana, winning many awards and achieving the status of judge, in which capacity she served well into her 80's. Priscilla and Fred traveled extensively all over the world providing Priscilla with a plethora of information from which she drew to enliven almost any conversation.
Priscilla was widowed in 2007 and her son, Rick, died on November 26, 2012. She is survived by Rick's former wife Sarah (Adams) Aldrich of Oregon and Rick's companion of many years, Connie Juvan-Savoy of Texas. Priscilla is also survived by son Sandy and wife, Nancy (Davis) of NH, son Bill and wife, Wendy (Bremer), of MA, and dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Her latest great-granddaughter, Elsie, was born July 3, 2013.
The family feels that her spirit will best be honored by planting a tree, flower, bush, or other beautiful plant in her name.
A celebration of the Life of Priscilla Alden Crocker Archibald will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2013, at 10:00 AM at the Village at Duxbury, 290 Kings Town Way, Duxbury, MA. All are welcomed to share memories of a life full of energy, creativity, and humor.