Esther Bernice Aulenback

Aulenback, Esther Bernice (Gaetz)

entered into rest

December 3, 2021.

Of West Roxbury, formerly

of Allston, MA and Grand Desert,

Nova Scotia, Canada.

Esther was born

12/25/25, a “Christmas baby” to Viola

and Clifford Gaetz who supported their

large family as a fisherman.

Beloved wife of the late Fred Aulenback.

Loving and devoted mother to her

three daughters, Luanne Dickey and

her husband John of Arcadia, CA,

Cindy Roche and her husband Edward

of North Easton and Laurie Lucas

and her husband Charles of West

Roxbury. “Nana” to her grandchildren,

Matthew, Jacqueline, Gregory and

Marissa. Esther is survived by her

sister, Golda of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

She was predeceased by her sisters,

Lena, Vera, Della and Marjorie May

and brothers, Lawson, Calvin, Farrell,

Perry and Dean Gaetz.

Growing up in rural Chezzetcook County during

the Depression, Esther’s family home

had neither electricity nor indoor

plumbing. At a young age, Esther

was raised to appreciate the value of

hard work and acquired the skills to

be self-reliant and self-sufficient. At

14, along with the local children of

Grand Desert, Esther was rounded up

by pickup truck to work in the clam

factory to shuck clams for pennies

to contribute to the household.

After completing 8th grade at St. Mary’s,

the only schoolhouse of Chezzetcook

taught by the sisters of St. Joseph,

Esther was on her own. At age 15,

she was hired as a live in housekeeper

(a job she acquired from her elder

sister Lena after the employer asked

their mother if she had any more

daughters), then on to clerical work

at Imperial Oil.

In 1952, traveling by train, she joined her then fiancée

Fred to immigrate to “the States”.

Her one steamer trunk contained all

her worldly possessions including

a set of china dishes she purchased

piece by piece with her earnings from

Imperial Oil. Settling in Allston,

she enjoyed domestic life, cooking,

sewing, walking down “the Ave”,

gardening and traveling “back home”

to Canada with her young family.

Esther became an American citizen

in the early 60’s. In 1972, after the

death of her husband which left her

with three teenage girls, she answered

an ad in the local newspaper to read

to an elderly blind woman, “Aunt

Alice” of Brookline. Upon Aunt Alice’s

death, Esther stayed employed as a

housekeeper for 20 years for Alice’s

extended family.

Esther soon sought

full time employment from the City

of Boston’s Social Service agency

(APAC), and was hired as a full time

cafeteria worker in Boston Public

Schools and subsequently as a food

server in the Executive Dining Room

of New England Life (now Met. Life)

until her retirement at age 65. To

earn extra money at NEL, Esther

laundered, starched and ironed linen

napkins over the weekend for the

Executive Dining Room along with her

Saturday housekeeping job.

She was a nurturing mother always thinking of

her daughters and generously giving

them what she was able to. All three

grateful girls received Baccalaureate

degrees from college, with Esther

assisting financially as best she could.

Esther also “looked in on” elderly

neighbors in Allston, including Marty

next door who relied on Esther for

daily meals and housekeeping. Having

never driven a car, Esther walked or

took the MBTA everywhere.

In 1996, Esther relocated to West Roxbury.

She took trips with her friend Rita to

Florida, Hawaii and Europe as well

as the St. Theresa’s Retirees. Esther

also frequently visited her daughter in

California and family in Canada. She

was known throughout the family as

the “one with the positive attitude”,

with an inherent mindset to save for

hard times and to always look ahead,

never back. Esther never complained,

even when faced with advanced COPD,

which for the last 8 years required

around the clock oxygen.

With the assistance of her daughters, Esther

remained in her home with dignity,

insisting on doing what she could

for herself to stay home, her most

comfortable and familiar setting.

Heartfelt special thanks to the medical

team from Harvard Vanguard, the VNA

nurses and Ethos of Jamaica Plain

for providing home care and support

services.

Funeral services will be on

Thursday December 9, 2021 at 11:00

am at Emmanuel Episcopal Church

of 21 Stratford St, West Roxbury, MA

02132. Graveside services will be held at Mount Auburn Cemetery.