Alorie Parkhill

Alorie Boyle Parkhill, 75, of Sudbury, Mass. and South Waterford, died on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 surrounded by family following injuries sustained in a May 19 auto accident.

A resident of Sudbury, Mass. for 48 years, Alorie was born on May 2, 1942 in Boston, Mass. She was the beloved wife of Craig Walter Parkhill, devoted mother of Rebecca Crowley Parkhill of Weston, Mass. and Paul Boyle Parkhill of Brooklyn, N.Y., and four grandchildren.

A 1963 graduate of Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Alorie also earned a master’s degree in English from Simmons College in 1972. Alorie taught English and Theatre at the Cambridge School of Weston from 1963 to 2005, where she was also a dorm parent, head of the English Department and for 16 years served as Assistant Head. In 1972, Alorie cofounded the Temple Beth Shalom Nursery School in Framingham, which is still operating today.

A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Alorie was an active member of the First Parish Church of Sudbury, where she wrote and directed 13 nationally-recognized plays for UU children, codirected the religious education program for several years, and sang in the choir for many more. Alorie cowrote the book, Doing Plays With Kids with Mary Ann Moore on the process of producing plays in churches.

A love of music led her to cofound several folk music groups including Mustardseed and Redwood.

Upon retirement, Alorie taught classes at Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and subsequently cofounded Lifelong Learning: An Independent Collaborative, where she served as curriculum committee chair and board member. She taught classes on subjects such as Buddhism, Feminism and the works of Toni Morrison.

Alorie loved gardening, and spending time at the family compound in South Waterford. She was very active in local and national politics.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. at the First Parish Church, 321 Concord Avenue, Sudbury, Mass., with a reception immediately following in the parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alorie Parkhill Endowed Fund for Teacher Mentoring and Training at the Cambridge School of Weston, Georgian Road, Weston, MA 02493.