MIDDLEBURY — Jane Ardell “Dell” Hadley was born Oct. 5, 1923, and raised in San Jose, Calif., with her two brothers, Doug and Dick, of whom many a tale was told! She left this world to join her family and friends on March 30, 2020.
If there was ever a classic, beautiful woman it was our Dell. Raised in California, she was a tall slender girl with white-blonde hair and hazel eyes who loved nature. She was bequeathed a fine sense of fashion by her seamstress grandmother, Daisy, and developed an elegant sense of style and an artistic vision that was seen throughout her home and children.
Dell was a quiet woman who loved to read and be with her family. She was an avid gardener who loved the woods and being surrounded by nature. She was a consummate hostess with a grand sense of humor and eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Her guests always felt welcomed, and her extended family loved. Dell’s close friends were always in her heart.
As a mother, she instilled in her five daughters to be kind and to open their hearts and minds to the differences all around us. Education was very important, but even more important was to do your best at whatever you do. Dell was devoted to her family and to keeping her family history alive. She was a woman ahead of her time, believing in many equalities and natural living before they were the trend.
She met her true love at San Jose State College in the 1940s and married Ronald Olin Hadley in Nov. 1944, as WWII raged. They had five lovely daughters and were married one month shy of 75 years.
As a teen in California, Dell worked in the orchards, where she picked fruit and cut ‘cots’. During the war effort she worked in the canneries and the office of a Dirigible factory. She left college to marry Ron and begin their family. After the war they lived in Santa Clara County, Calif. They moved to New Jersey on a two- year transfer with Ron’s job from San Francisco Bell Tell to AT&T in New York City. They loved the change of seasons the Northeast and never returned to live on the West Coast. Living in New Jersey, they thoroughly enjoyed their life raising their five girls, and taking vacations in Waterford, Maine and Lincoln, Vt.
They retired to Lincoln in 1984 and in 2005 they moved “down the mountain” to Middlebury, Vt., to their Condo on Twin Circles. During their time there, they enjoyed Middlebury’s cultural and social life, Ice Hockey games at the college and playing bridge. With the help of their granddaughter, Cara Stewart and her daughters who moved in to help them, they were able to stay in the Condo as life became more challenging. They moved in to EastView’s assisted living facility in 2018.
When first in Lincoln, Dell loved to hike through the woods to the beaver dam on West Hill Rd silently waiting for the beaver to arrive and listening for their slapping tails. She spent many of her Lincoln days taking their dogs Shelley and then Lucy for a walk, watching the animals visiting her yard, or enjoying the changing leaves or falling snow. Dell loved her gardens and finding new plants to fill any needed spaces. She had many family heirloom plants that came from her mother and grandmother, which she nurtured and passed down to her girls and grandchildren.
She loved to entertain and play cards and games, especially Bridge and dominoes, and did so until she was 95. Family card games were passed down from generation to generation and are still treasured memories today.
Dell was a loving wife, and a caring, wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
She was predeceased by her husband, Ronald O. Hadley of Middlebury, Vt.; brothers, Douglas H. Jewett and Richard Jewett of San Jose, Calif.; and parents Gladys Gonsolus and Harold Jewett. She leaves behind her family of five daughters and their families: Beth Ryer (Charles) of Eugene, Ore.; Christie Jacks (Marshall) of Southport, N.C.; Cindy Osbourne (Bud) of McDonald, Pa.; Judy Robbins (David) of Rochester, N.H.; and Joanne Tong (David) of Keene, N.H.; as well as her 10 grandchildren: Jodi Spencer (Eric), Matt Ryer (Amy), Cara Stewart, Brandon Stewart (Michelle), Alec Osbourne (Kelsey), Dan Robbins (Lindsay DeHaas), Kyle Robbins (Sheena), Trisha Foss (Chad), Christopher Rawlings (Katie), Samantha Brillon (Michael), and 19 great-grandchildren. The family, at the time of her passing, numbered 50.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to Kayla’s foundation, Addison County Home Health & Hospice, or EastView at Middlebury.◊