Monna 'Bette' D. (Dingman) Fauteux

HUBBARDSTON/HOLDEN - Monna “Bette” (Dingman) Fauteux, 89, of Hubbardston, died on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston following a stroke. The daughter of Charles F. and Monna (Cox) Dingman, Bette was born and raised in Palmer and lived 21 years in Holden before moving to Hubbardston in 1979.

Bette graduated from Palmer High School and attended Wheaton College, where she earned a B.A. in English in 1947. Following graduation, she relocated to Cambridge where she met her future husband, Jacques M. Fauteux. Her first professional job was as a magazine writer at The Mutual Boiler Insurance Co. in Boston. She and Jacques married in 1953 and briefly lived in Oklahoma and Connecticut before settling in Holden to raise their two daughters.

In 1966, Bette began teaching English at Wachusett Regional High School. She was an active member of her union and a strong advocate for students. Bette eventually earned a master’s degree in education at Worcester State College. She retired after more than 20 years and later enjoyed teaching foreign students English as a Second Language at Brandeis University.

In 1969, she planned a family trip to Europe that would mark the beginning of a lifetime of travel. She led her students on several European tours, including one to the Soviet Union, and took two cruises with her grandchildren. In November, she returned from a visit to Paris en route to a wedding in Dubai, the last of many adventures abroad with her husband.

In recent years, she crafted a series of short stories, many of which chronicle her experiences. She was a finalist for the 2012 Walker Percy Prize in Short Fiction. She also took an active part in the Hubbardston Democratic Town Committee and the Hubbardston Historical Society. She never failed to stay in contact with family and friends and retained strong ties to her classmates from Wheaton. She was also an avid walker and spent many hours last year strolling Revere Beach, where she recently acquired a second home.

Bette will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend, and for her independent spirit, unwavering commitment to women’s rights, and her insistence on proper grammar. She leaves her husband of 61 years, Jacques Mercier Fauteux; two daughters, Danielle Fauteux Jacques of Chelsea and Nicole J. Fauteux, her son-in-law Robert P. Simon, and two grandsons, Joel F. and Benjamin F. Simon of Fairfax, VA; and many other relatives. The last of her eight older brothers died in 2013.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Bette’s family from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, January 30, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. A memorial service honoring her life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, at the First Parish Unitarian Church, 2 Main St., Hubbardston. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jane Fund, P.O. Box 562, Holden, MA 01520 (janefund.org) or The Home for Little Wanderers, 11 Ward St., Somerville, MA 02143 ( www.thehome.org ). To share a memory or leave a condolence for the family, please "Sign the Guestbook" on this page.