Mirrless Ruth Underwood, born February 24, 1939, died peacefully on February 2, 2018 at Cape Cod Hospital. She was predeceased by her parents Ruth and Rodney Underwood, of Venice, Florida and her brother, Dr. David Underwood, of Concord, NH. She is survived by her grieving partner, Jessie M. Buck; and a grieving sister, Anita Underwood Greene and her husband Thayer Greene of Amherst, Massachusetts; three step children Todd, Audrey and Jennifer along with three grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews. When she engaged with them, her ever present inner child came forth and soon they were laughing together with the delight of being alive. Her wry sense of humor extended to others as she dealt with the life given her. Mirrless was a survivor of numerous forms of cancer which provided the foundation for her most popular course on the subject of death and dying. She had many careers starting out as a reporter in a least two newspapers, then became a licensed social worker involved in the lives of people in two large hospitals. Always a learner, she earned a PH.D in Psychology and taught for many years in colleges, hence the course on death and dying. She was the first to teach such a course, and wrote a book about it, using her own experiences, entitled Diary of a Death Professional. As a Dean at Greenfield Community College, she touched so many lives either as friend, teacher, social worker or as mentor. She was a universal lover of sports, especially the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. Mirrless will be missed by many for her infectious and engaging capacity to connect with a broad variety of human beings.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Abby’s House, 21 Crown Street, Worcester MA.
Memorial Services may be planned at a future date.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.8.18