Martha Grace

WORCESTER -Martha P. Grace passed away peacefully in the loving care of her family at her daughter's home in Shrewsbury, on August 13, 2025. Martha was born on March 14, 1940, in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of Milton Pliner and Marcia Herman Pliner. She is predeceased by her sister Roberta, and her husband Nason Hurowitz. She leaves her daughter, Meredith Grace Reichheld and her husband Robert, her son Charles Grace and his partner, Sara Zaiger, and her grandchildren, Jena Reichheld, Lillian Grace and Marshall Grace, as well as Sara's daughter, Alana Zaiger.

Martha also leaves her step-brother, Arthur Grace and his wife, Debra; step-sisters, Dianne Solomon and Laura Grace; and a niece, Cara Solomon.

In addition, she leaves her late husband Nason Hurowitz's children Steven Hurowitz, James Hurowitz and his wife Doreen Brettler, and Beth Crotty and her husband Donald, and his grandchildren, Lauren Brickman and her husband Michael, Elizabeth Dinner and her husband David, Nora Rabbani and her husband Mohammad, and Greg Crotty.

Her mother died the day before Martha's seventeenth birthday and that single event shaped the rest of her life. All that she accomplished or failed to accomplish, she attributed to the fact of her mother's passing at an early age.

She loved her children intensely, and her pleasure at their triumphs served to remind her that she was deprived too soon of a mother with whom to share her own dreams and accomplishments.

The simple fact of her marriage to Nason Hurowitz does not describe the fact that they shared hearth and home in a manner that brought them daily joy, and that theirs was a relationship marked by great friendship, humor and love.

Educated at Smith College where she majored in Zoology, she later earned a Master's Degree in History at Clark University, and her law degree from New England School of Law when her children were in elementary school. She practiced law in Worcester for several years before being appointed as a Massachusetts Juvenile Court judge.

While her judgeship brought a measure of prestige, she always believed that was outweighed by the burden of responsibility to make the right decisions for children and their families. When she was appointed as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court, those responsibilities only increased as did the challenge of expanding the Juvenile Court across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

She was challenged by riding horses and cherished her beloved Appaloosa, Kennington, and her Thoroughbred, Microchip. Martha was stimulated by foreign travel and was happy to have traveled extensively with Nason in the early years of their marriage.

Her passion for all animals was well known, but most especially, her love of dachshunds permeated every aspect of her life, and she welcomed them into her heart and home with joy. Though she did not achieve her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian; after retiring from her judgeship, she attended Tufts Cummings School for Veterinary Medicine and earned a Master's Degree in Animals and Public Policy and taught Animal Law at Tufts for a number of years.

She felt fortunate to have boundless energy and loved hiking in the woods with friends and her dachshunds and taking yoga and tap-dancing classes.

Family and friends will gather to honor Martha's remarkable life at a Funeral Service at 11:00am on Friday, August 15, at Temple Emanuel Sinai, 661 Salisbury Street, Worcester. Burial will follow at Worcester Hebrew Cemetery, Auburn, MA.. A Memorial reception will take place immediately following at the Temple. Memorial observances will be announced at the service. Arrangements are in the care of Miles Funeral Home of Holden.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be made to NEADS World Class Service Dogs, P.O. Box 1100, Princeton, MA 01541 (https://neads.org/get-involved/donate/), or Worcester Chamber Music Society, Mechanics Hall, 323 Main Street, Worcester MA, 01608 (www.worcesterchambermusic.org), or to a charity of the donor's choice.

She would like her friends and family to celebrate the way that she lived her life rather than mourn her death.