Esther M. (Smith) Kugel

KUGEL - Esther M. (Smith), age 95, passed away peacefully on the morning of April 16, 2013 in her sunny room at Renaissance Gardens in Hingham, MA. She was a Pioneer resident of Linden Ponds where she had lived since 2005.

Mrs. Kugel was predeceased by her husband of 51 years, Paul, and three sisters, Elizabeth Smith, Genevieve Walker and Roberta Richardson. She is survived by three daughters, Polly (& Don) LaBombard of Glastonbury, CT; Patty (& Joe) Ivey of Marathon, FL; and Peg (& Cleo) O'Donnell of Walpole, MA; four grandchildren, Caitlin O'Donnell of Manhattan, NY; Kristin Sullivan of Colchester, CT; Jeffrey LaBombard of Warren, VT and Ryan LaBombard of Plantsville, CT as well as five great-grandchildren, Aaron, Sarah and Anna Sullivan and Posy and Owen LaBombard.

Mrs. Kugel was born in Quincy, MA, the daughter of George and Ida (Williams) Smith. She grew up in Wollaston, attending Woodward School for Girls and Quincy High School. She delighted her daughters with stories of sampling new ice cream flavors as a young girl, when neighbor Howard Johnson was developing his business. Serving as a nurse's aide during World War II developed into a lifelong passion of supporting veteran's causes. Fluent in Spanish, she was employed as an overseas operator at Stone & Webster in Boston until meeting her future husband and raising their family in Westwood, MA. Mrs. Kugel was a devoted mother, Girl Scout leader and art patron; she continued taking classes at Wellesley College well into her senior years, embarking on travel adventures, enjoying classical music and bird watching. For nearly 20 years, she and her husband spent the winter months in the Florida Keys.

A private memorial service has been planned for the summer on Cape Cod. Donations in Mrs. Kugel's memory may be made to the National Audubon Society or the Massachusetts Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals .

"This is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Holden-Dunn-Lawler
www.hdlfuneralhome.net