CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Oralie A. Thurston, formerly of Clarksburg, died from Alzheimer’s disease on Sept. 18, 2019, in Woodbury, Minn. 

Born on Feb. 9, 1927, to Henry and Louise Lane in West Burke, Vt., she graduated from Lyndon Institute and the Eastman Dental Dispensary in Rochester, N.Y., and became a dental hygienist. She met the new radio DJ in town, Don Thurston, on a blind date in St. Johnsbury, Vt., and they were married soon after in 1951. They lived in Newport, Vt., for a short time before moving to North Adams in 1960, then to Clarksburg in 1973.

Oralie Thurston was as proper a Yankee as New England ever produced, a kind and thoughtful woman whose partnership with her husband, Don, set a standard in faithfulness and love; a woman who loved her church, wrote an endless convoy of notes and letters to friends and loved ones, and never missed a birthday, anniversary or holiday card.  She volunteered extensively for Girl Scouts, the Red Cross, and the Methodist Church. She was a stickler for the rules of etiquette at the Travel Club and dedicated more than 45 years of volunteer service at the former North Adams Regional Hospital.    

She was generous and kind and together, she and Don were considered guideposts for community involvement. During holidays, she would set a place at her table for the elderly and lonely and whenever family or friends left the house, Oralie would stand in the driveway and wave, and God help you if didn't wave back.

Don and Oralie were inseparable and traveled extensively, beginning with their honeymoon cruise up the St. Lawrence River into Canada. She met many celebrities during her life, once seeing Mohamed Ali at a restaurant in Zaire. She has dined at the White House, met five presidents and rubbed elbows with Dolly Parton, Charlie Pride and other county music greats. They visited Rome, Paris, Africa, Mexico, the Bahamas and a good share of the United States.

A true Vermonter, however, her favorite days were spent at her cabin in the Northeast Kingdom. It was there she felt most at home. Her favorite memory was of warm summer evenings with Don, her brother Henry and sister-in-law Bev, sipping "Manhattans" on the deck enjoying the beautiful sunset reflected in the crystal-clear water of Newark Pond.

Oralie was predeceased by her loving husband of 58 years, Donald A. Thurston, on October 6, 2009.

She is survived by son, Corydon Thurston, and partner Ellie Collins of Williamstown, Mass.; daughter Carolie Collins and husband Robert of Woodbury, Minn.; granddaughter Sarah Thurston Housman and husband Ryan of Williamstown; grandsons Thomas Thurston and wife Julie of Cheshire, Mass., Sean Collins and wife Ashley of St. Paul, Minn., Ross Thurston and wife Melissa, of Cary, N.C., and Patrick Collins and wife Mindy, of Oakdale, Minn.; great-granddaughters Emma & Anna Thurston of Cheshire; sister-in-law Beverly Lane of St. Johnsbury Center, Vt., and brother-in-law J. Allen Thurston and wife Laurie of Waco, Texas; plus several, nieces, nephews, cousins, their spouses and friends too numerous to count.

Funeral notice: A celebration of her life will be held in the First Congregational Church in North Adams, Mass., at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, 2019, with a reception to follow. Please join us in remembering all Oralie brought to life, family and her community.  

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Donald A Thurston Scholarship Fund  at MCLA,  375 Church St. North Adams, MA  01247 or Hospice Care in the Berkshires, 877 South St., Suite 1W, Pittsfield, MA   01201.