MEDWAY: Jean Mary Dexter

Jean Mary Dexter, 87, of Medway, MA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Milford Regional Medical Center, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Boston on June 14, 1937, Jean (Ehret) Dexter spent her early years in Watertown before moving to Sudbury in 1950. She graduated from Sudbury High School in 1955 and soon after moved to Framingham, where she began her career with New England Telephone. Jean worked there for six years, rising to the role of supervisor, before meeting and marrying the love of her life, Edward F. Dexter, on August 6, 1960.

Jean and Edward settled in Medway on December 31, 1960, where they built a home filled with love. In 1961, Jean left her career to raise their growing family. After Edward’s untimely passing in 1973, Jean faced the future with remarkable strength, raising their five children with unwavering dedication.

In 1976, Jean fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming a licensed hairstylist. She operated a home-based salon for ten years and continued working in various roles throughout her life. In 1985, she proudly earned an associate’s degree in business from Mass Bay Community College — another dream realized. She officially retired in 1997 on her 60th birthday.

Later in her life after her children graduated from college, she traveled extensively with her companion of 20 years, Robert Goode. “Uncle Bob” enjoyed spending time with her and her grandchildren as well as many family gatherings throughout the years. She fondly remembered her time with him after he passed in 2013.

Throughout the years, Jean nurtured special friendships with friends from the phone company, high school, Parents without Partners, and the Medway Senior Center. As a social butterfly, she was an upstanding member of the Medway community. She loved her time with her neighbors on Buttercup Lane and her time with members of the Medway Senior Center. She especially loved her Tuesday community table dinners at the Medway Community Church.

Jean loved her family deeply and found joy in her garden, where she spent countless peaceful hours. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose warmth, resilience, and humor left a lasting mark on all who knew her.

She is survived by her children and in-laws — Donna (Dexter) and James Fiori (predeceased), Linda (Dexter) and Mark Dumouchel, Scott and Cheri (Potochnik) Dexter, Lisa Dexter, and Debra Dexter. In addition, her grandchildren Michelle (Fiori) Greenwood, Noelle (Fiori) and Shane Jackson, Vanessa (Fiori) and Ryan Wasielewski, Toni (Fiori) and Joe Solari, Darin and Grace (Ryan) Dumouchel, Derek Dumouchel and Kelly McGolrick, Nicole Dumouchel and fiancé Matt Grieve, Dana Dumouchel and Pat Beaton, and Nicholas Dexter. She is also survived by a wonderful extended family of many nieces, nephews, and their children. We cannot forget her beautiful eight great grandchildren; Henry and Yvee, Dominic and William, Remy and Maisy, Dexter & Baby #9 on the way and Maeve.

She is predeceased by her loving husband Edward F. Dexter, his brothers and sisters as well as most of her siblings.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours on Tuesday, May 13 from 3 – 5 p.m. in the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home, 3 Barber St. in Medway ginleyfuneralhomes.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jean’s memory to any of the following organizations: the Medway Art Society https://sites.google.com/view/medway-art-association/artists , in honor of her love for creativity and community; the Medway Community Church https://www.medwaycc.org/resources/online-giving in honor of her love for community. And for her love of gardening, to the Holliston Garden Club https://hollistongardenclub.org/ .

We’d like to thank the staff at Milford Regional Medical Center for their amazing kindness and caring of our beloved mother during her final hours with her family. They are an amazing group of dedicated people who ensure end of life care is peaceful and with the utmost dignity.