Jean Woodbridge (Palmer) Dyer
Jean Woodbridge (Palmer) Dyer, 91, died on Sunday, December 23, 2018 at Life Care Center in Attleboro MA after a long illness. Born in Lowell MA, Jean was the daughter of Carl Fenton and Minnie (Clennon) Palmer. She was the fourth of five children and her childhood included building models with her brother Richard, playing the piano, listening to the radio and spending summers at the Palmer family farm on Palmer Road in Pittston ME.
Jean earned her teaching degree at Framingham State Teachers College in 1949 and met E. Otis Dyer of Framingham on a blind date. They married on Jean’s 22nd birthday in 1950 and began a life-long adventure together of restoring an 18th century farm, Great Meadow Hill Farm, in Rehoboth MA. For several years Jean taught first and second grade at North Rehoboth School and Palmer River Elementary School in Rehoboth MA before devoting her time to raising four children.
Jean was a traveler, not only with her husband Otis but also with her sister Sally Palmer Field, who shared her interests in exploring New York City, Canada, and England. Jean loved spending time at the Dyer family cottage in North Truro MA and taking cruises on the small Blount ships out of Warren RI. She played tennis and took regular exercise classes at the YMCA well into her 80s.
Jean served on the Rehoboth School Committee during the 1970s and volunteered for over 30 years at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro MA. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and served as Election Warden in Rehoboth Precinct 1. She was an active participant in the early years of the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society's Carpenter Museum.
Jean is survived by her husband of 68 years and two daughters, Betsey Dexter Dyer (Robert Obar) of Walpole MA and Lydia Dyer Carswell (Larry Carswell) of Rehoboth; and her son, Nathaniel Paine Dyer (Lisa-Marie) of Rehoboth. Her son E. Otis Dyer Jr. predeceased her in 2016. She leaves six grandchildren: Daniel Carswell of Providence RI, James Carswell of Rehoboth, Alice Obar of Astoria NY, Samuel Obar of Walpole MA, and Caleb Dyer and Tatum Dyer, both of Rehoboth. She was predeceased by her brothers, Fenton and Richard; and sisters, Anne and Sally.
Services and burial at Stephens Corner Cemetery in Rehoboth will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Carpenter Museum P.O. Box 2 Rehoboth MA 02769.
