Dana Edwin Pearson, 90, of Whately, Massachusetts, and Kennebunk Beach, died at his Whately home in his favorite chair by the fireplace on Feb. 15, 2022. His passing was quick – the way he had hoped.
Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 30, 1931, to parents Chauncey Wright Pearson and Edwina Ely Pearson, he graduated Deerfield Academy in 1949 and Wesleyan University in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he worked on the Army newspaper and listened to as much jazz on the radio as possible. Afterwards, he attended Wharton Graduate School from 1955 to 1957.
In 1957, he married Deborah Morse of Northampton, beginning his most important role (his true career), that of devoted husband. He and Debbie were married for 64 years, with shared loves including traveling to Europe (especially England), reading (mostly biographies and histories), bicycling, playing bridge, golf, tennis (playing and then watching whatever tournament was being televised), and socializing at their summer home in Kennebunk Beach. In the mid-1960s, agreeing that golden retrievers were the only dogs worth owning, they began a series of goldens that culminated in their favorite, Cassie, who survives him.
At first in Springfield, Massachusetts, and then mostly in neighboring Longmeadow, they raised two daughters (Jennifer and Suzanne) and a son (Dana) from the late-1950s through the ‘70s, as Dana worked in the personnel department at Mass Mutual Life Insurance. In that classic post-war suburban American setting, Dana served as a Little League, softball, and youth soccer coach, volunteered for United Fund campaigns, and was a member of Longmeadow’s Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). During that time, he provided stability so that the family could enjoy many fine things, including summers at Kennebunk Beach in the house his grandfather had built.
In the mid-1980s (around the time he and Debbie finally settled in Whately), Dana segued from Mass Mutual to ROLM/IBM/Siemens, where he served in many capacities, including payroll, accounting, and the installation of telecommunication systems, including a stint in Santa Clara, California, which he rather enjoyed for its weather and dizzying array of restaurants. By the mid-1990s, he had begun doing freelance work using his accumulated skills; however, that tapered into retirement, which – though he absolutely loved working – was fine by him.
Dana was a social being with many varied interests. He was a charter member of both the Edgcomb Tennis Club and Eagle Rock Yacht Club, and belonged to the Webhannet Golf Club (one of the highlights of his life was winning a seniors tournament; he hung the plaque with pride on his dining room wall). He got a kick out of being in the Marching and Chowder Society, for its congenial camaraderie and the opportunity to dig into the baked stuffed haddock at the Bull & Claw. His lifeblood was eating, drinking, and making merry, and he recently said that nothing made him happier than gathering with his family at the beach house for a lobster bake (provided shrimp and steak were included).
The man loved music. He was first hooked in the 1930s to the jazz of Fats Waller, then in the 1940s to the pounding boogie woogie of the likes of Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons. (A late-in-life revelation was that he had caught Frank Sinatra at the Paramount in the 1940s while visiting his aunt and uncle in Manhattan.) His predilection for rhythm and blues led to a lifelong love of rock and roll (Bill Haley, the Rolling Stones, CCR), and the radio in his workroom was always tuned to classic rock. That need for a strong backbeat would explain his eternal joy of dancing, which he would do whenever and wherever possible. He also loved to sing, and did so in community theater productions, the Springfield Symphony Chorus, and the Seaglass Chorale.
Having lost his father when he was nine, Dana (or, as he was known to many, Ted) assumed many household responsibilities at an early age so as to help his mother, who worked as a librarian at Smith College, and younger brother, Wright (who passed in 2002). He used those handy skills throughout his life, and rarely did he ever call a workman to the house.
Having reached 90, Dana was predeceased by many family members and friends, as well as his beloved 1967 lime gold Mustang ragtop.
He is survived by Debbie, his wife of 64 years; daughter Jennifer Schumann and her husband Eric Schumann of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and their children Max and Lily; daughter Suzanne LaPierre and her husband Darren LaPierre of Eliot, Maine, and their children Zane, Maya, and Ruby; son Dana Pearson and his wife Diane Lang of Kennebunk; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at Edwards Church, Northampton, Massachusetts. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Deerfield Academy or Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue in Hudson, Massachusetts.
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