Edith LaCroix (Knowles) Dabney died on Tuesday, February 20th after a brief illness. She was born in Boston on June 30th, 1930, daughter of Esther and Morris LaCroix. A resident of Chestnut Hill, MA for most of her life, Edith, known as Teedy, attended Winsor School where she played varsity hockey, softball and was captain of the basketball team in her senior year. Her classmates voted her, “Most Likely to Make the Olympics”. Teedy was certified as a Junior Maine Guide at the age of fourteen, rising to her first leadership role while still in high school. She attended Smith College, where she prepared for work as a lab technician, graduating in 1948.
Later, while working in the lab at Vincent Memorial Hospital, she met a brilliant young physician, Dr. John H. Knowles, who became, in order of importance, her husband, the Director of Massachusetts General Hospital and President of The Rockefeller Foundation. Teedy and John were married in 1953 for 26 happy, busy years until his death in 1979. She once described their life together as an “accumulation of six children, four cats, a horse, a goat, a dog, a canary, 5 goldfish, an ant farm, seahorses and multiple jars of bugs, beetles and worms”. She lived in New York City from 1973 until 1981. In 1980 she re-met and later married Lewis S. Dabney, happily gaining two step daughters. Their lives together included a love for sailing Buzzards Bay and adventurous travel to destinations across the globe.
Teedy lived an impressive and impactful life of service, leading and supporting Boston’s most cherished institutions in the arts, medicine and education. She was Chair of the Board of Trustees of WGBH, Trustee of McLean Hospital, Vice Chair and Life Trustee of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and Life Trustee of Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Science.
Teedy was predeceased by her brother William, and her three sisters, Ruth (Darling), Jeanne (Crocker) and Susanne (Phippen). Each and all were vital members of their philanthropic communities, but the four LaCroix sisters were most devoted to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Together, they attended the symphony’s Friday afternoon concerts for several decades, sitting in the same seats family members had occupied since the 1800’s. Regulars at the symphony since the 1940’s, the LaCroix sisters agreed their most memorable season was 1958, the year they were all pregnant - posing a significant obstacle to latecomers trying discreetly to pass them to reach their seats.
She is survived by her children, Edith “Muffin” (Tom) Williams; John “Joe” (Polly) Knowles; James Knowles, Jean “Laurie” (Johan) Hedlund; Robert (Jennifer) Knowles. She is also survived by her step-children Leila Marconi and Bettina (George) Abe. She also leaves behind fourteen grandchildren whom she adored as well as a fourth generation of 3 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son Charles (Sheilah) Knowles.
Both bound by tradition and eager to evolve, even in her 93rd year, Teedy lived independently, read voraciously, exercised daily, practiced yoga regularly and remained very closely connected to her vast network of family and friends. She recently wrote to her Smith College Alumni Board, “Looking forward, there are so many places to go, people to meet, books to read and games to play. I guess the idea is to grow up, not grow old, by always finding the opportunities in change. I am always optimistic, I am always curious”
Her homes in Chestnut Hill and Padanarum were centers for joyous gatherings of her many friends of all ages and backgrounds and her loving, growing family. Throughout her life, she found peace by the ocean, solace in her garden, refuge in her books, joy on the golf course, and pure happiness in the company of her family, most especially her grandchildren, along with their partners and friends.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 2nd at 10:30 a.m. at the First Church in Chestnut Hill, 26 Suffolk Rd, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Burial will be private.
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