She is survived by her loving children, Robert Hadley and his wife Susan. Karen Gordon and her husband Peter. Christopher Hadley and his wife Jane. Patricia Hadley and her partner Cobb Burtis. Her loving grandchildren, Rachel, Laura, Ben, Bethany, Adam and Charlotte. Her great-grandchildren, Gini, Hadley, Jeremiah, Elliah, Judah and Victor.
She was the daughter of Katherine and Hobart Parsons, of Northampton, MA. Her late siblings were Morgan Parsons, Alan Parsons, Jane Dolbier and her surviving husband, William Dolbier. She graduated from Northampton High School as the valedictorian of the class of 1950 and matriculated to the University of Massachusetts, where she met her late husband of 68 years, Frank B. Hadley, “Brud.”
She and Brud married in 1954 and then moved to Fall River. Ginny continued her education at the University of Rhode Island, where she achieved her master’s degree and certificate of advanced graduate studies in Psychology.
In 1971 she started her career in counseling at UMass Dartmouth, formally Southeastern Massachusetts University. SMU was her other family and the last ten years of her career was at the helm of the counselling center. She guided many students and faculty with her incredible ability to listen and connect.
She and Brud both retired in the same year and began their golden years skiing and playing golf all over the world. Their home mountain, Waterville Valley NH, was where the joy was through many winters skiing with the “Silver Streaks.”
Ginny and Brud shared their lives with countless people. They had an open-door policy with friends and family and gave their time and energy freely. Many sing-alongs around the piano at Langley St., and incredible meals that Ginny produced, will be remembered by all who spent time there. She was also a voracious reader, loved a game of cribbage and playing bridge with her good friends.
Ginny was a good steward of Fall River, The First Congregational Church and organizations too numerous to mention. Ginny worked so very hard to make the world she lived in a better place. It was.
The family would like to thank the dedicated staff at Hattie Ide Chaffee Home for all the care and love they provided to all of us, and most importantly, to Ginny. To that end, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to this valuable non-profit organization. Hattie Ide Chaffee Home, 200 Wampanoag Trail, Riverside, RI 02915. https://www.convergepay.com/hosted-payments?ssl_txn_auth_token=0rYSQutUSMu6gqYC6IsvGQAAAZ%2BUoHMN Or please also consider a donation to Ginny’s church, The First Congregational Church of Fall River 282 Rock St. Fall River MA 02720 https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/584818
A celebration of Ginny’s life will be held at The First Congregational Church of Fall River, 282 Rock St, Fall River, MA on Thursday, December 17th at 11:00 AM. Relatives and friends are invited. Prior to the service, the family will be receiving guests in the church foyer from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
