Priscilla M. Paquette (nee Cote), 92, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, well-loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and great-aunt, passed on the morning of November 27, 2021. She is survived by a large family that she loved and cherished: her children, Michèle Parry, Erica Bigelow, Stephen Paquette, Jane Paquet, and Christopher Paquette and his wife, Elizabeth Whall; her grandchildren, Ivy and Afton Parry, David Paquet-Whall, his wife, Lucia Fernandez, and their children Ronan and Adeline, Alexander Whall, his wife Jacqueline, and their daughter Arya, Augustus Paquet-Whall and his wife Christina, Cassius Huff, Aurelia Paquette and her husband Rolando Chinchilla, as well as her sister, Anne Morad and Anne’s children, Diane, Matthew and Scott, and grandchildren, and her brother, Wilfred Cote, along with a wide circle of friends.
She grew up in the Hyde Park section of Boston, and after attending Hyde Park High School, worked for one of Boston’s many insurance companies until she became a full-time homemaker and mother after the birth of her first child, Michèle, with then-husband Eric. She became a single mother when her youngest child was still a toddler and worked extremely hard to provide her children with opportunities for growth, enrichment and education as well as a secure and ordered homelife.
In her 30’s, Priscilla became an early childhood educator at her local community center, and went on to receive her B.A. from Wheelock College, and her Master’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts, both in Early Childhood Education. After graduating Wheelock, she became a classroom teacher at the Day Care Center at UMass Boston, where her brilliance as a child educator resulted in her advancement to Assistant Director, and then Director, until her retirement in 2002.
Though she would not have described herself as a domestic goddess, she certainly could claim the title. Her skills - as a cook and baker, a seamstress and quilter, a needlewoman of all types from embroidery, to knitting and crochet – were all expert. She was a member of the Dorchester Senior Center Quilting Group, and was a treasured resource to all in her quilting circle, who frequently sought her advice and help with quilting conundrums. She designed and made quilts for each of her children, along with baby quilts, soft toys, sweaters and hats for her many grandchildren and great-nieces and great-nephews.
Priscilla enjoyed dolls, stuffed animals, books, chocolate, wine and finding and cutting out articles to share with people she felt could use them. After she lost her dog, Sura, she looked forward with great anticipation to visits from her children’s dogs, whom she could snuggle and spoil with treats.
Priscilla was also something of a housemother to a variety of people over the course of her life, from hosting live-in Vista and Peace Corps volunteers while they went through training, to taking in a teen friend to one of her boys during their junior and senior years of high school, to being home base for her sister’s family for a time, and for her longtime friend and companion, Steve Luke. If you were a friend to Priscilla, her loyalty was unwavering.
A memorial service for friends and family is planned for December 6, 2021 from 11AM - 2PM in the Ross Ballroom at Granite Links, 100 Quarry Drive, Quincy.