Susan J. Hurley, 43, Was Kind Presence in School

Susan J. Hurley, 43, of Boxboro, died Nov. 21 in the Coes Pond Hospice in Worcester.

Susan originally battled cancer six years ago and faced her recent diagnoses early November with great courage and stoicism.

Born Oct. 4, 1963, the daughter of the former state first assistant attorney general, Joseph J. Hurley, of Framingham and the late Jean F. (Welch) Hurley, she was raised and educated in Framingham. Sue was graduated from Marian High School, Framingham, in the class of 1981 and received her bachelor of arts degree from Framingham State College in 1986. During the 1980s, she was employed by Sears and Roebuck in Natick.

A kind, giving and caring person, she had been employed by the town of Wayland from 1992 to 2006 as a teacher's assistant as well as a tutor to special-needs children.

She was a keen observer of children's learning and her input and recommendations were invaluable to the special education staff in their lesson planning and implementation. But, most of all, beyond her official capacities, she was an integral part of the fabric of the school community. Sue was always eager to help out wherever and whenever she saw the need. Whether it was planning a party, or covering a recess duty or just being there as a listener and friend to staff members in need, Sue was a tangible presence in the Wayland school community.

An avid gardener, she enjoyed her part-time work with the former Arrowhead Garden Center, which is now operated as Mahoney's Garden Center in Wayland, and also had been a counselor at the Meadowbrook Summer Camp in Weston.

Survivors include her father; five siblings, four nieces and two nephews, Elisabeth J. (Lisa) and her husband Robert Gravel and their daughter Meaghan Reckis of Salem; David J. and John J. Hurley, both of Framingham; Mary V. and her husband Raymond Gosselin and their children Carl and Megan of Vineyard Haven; and Margaret J. Hurley and her two children, Michael Joseph Stygles and Mary Elisabeth Stygles of Grafton.

She was predeceased by a brother, Robert J. Hurley, and is survived by his daughter, Sarah K. Hurley of Natick.

A funeral mass was held Monday at St. Anselm's Church in Sudbury. Interment followed in Edgell Grove Cemetery, Framingham.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Coes Pond Hospice Residence, 10 Judith Road, Worcester, MA 01620 or American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718. An guest book is on the Web at Legacy.com.