Delphine Elizabeth Haldane of Malden passed away October 17th 2020 at the age of 88.
Her passing leaves three daughters, Kathleen Goulette of Malden, Elizabeth Gray of Malden and Diane Gray of Malden. She also leaves three grandchildren, Adam Terrell, Amber Terrell and Amanda Fargo, as well as five great-grandchildren, 4 nieces and 1 nephew. She was predeceased by son Stephen William Gray, brother Howard Allen and loving husband Robert Haldane.
She was the daughter of the late Elmer Forest Allen and Bessie Dyer Allen. She graduated Brookline High with honors and received a full scholarship at Boston College of Art.
She left college to raise a family with Rev. William Gray. She was a long time resident of Malden and was a soloist in the choir at First Congregational Church and later First Baptist Church. She also performed solos for other church’s musical events. She worked several years at Pioneer Financial Bank in Malden and was also a Girl Scout Leader in Malden.
After retirement she and her husband Bob spent winters in Zephyr Hills, Florida and summers in her house in Malden. They later lived at the Davenport Memorial.
She was truly a remarkable woman and had a multitude of accomplishments and talents. In her 20’s she and her husband Bill built a summer cottage in Cape Cod from frame, with built in furniture and beautifully landscaped grounds. At age 68 she attended a Biomedical Studies program at Whitehead institute in Cambridge, was valedictorian of her class, and went on to work for the Institute.
In addition to her wonderful singing voice, she was an excellent seamstress and made most of her own clothes and clothes for her children, from bathing suits to bridesmaid dresses and winter coats. She upholstered, made quilts, did professional Calligraphy for church books, baking, cake decorating, carpentry, painting, tiling, leather-tooling, gardening, candle-making, made braided rugs, fishermen-knit sweaters, and a multitude of other crafts and projects too numerous to list. She seemed to excel at everything she put her hand to. She had an abundance of energy and enjoyed riding her bicycle into her early 80’s.
She was a very loving mother and grandmother, and will be proudly and fondly remembered by her family and friends for her loving heart, strength of character, sense of humor, grace and fun loving energetic spirit.
We will be gathering for a Graveside Service at Forest Dale Cemetery in Malden on Wednesday, October 28 at 10:00 a.m. Due to the COVID-19, please abide by social distancing guidelines, wear a mask and bring a chair for the cemetery if you would like. In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to Alzheimer’s assoc.
In Remembrance of Delphine Haldane >