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Esther (Pratt) Nowell
9/6/1917 - 8/8/2010

Esther Pratt Nowell, a lifelong resident of Wakefield died Sunday, August 8 at the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital at age 92.
 
Born in Melrose, MA on September 6, 1917, Esther was the daughter of the late Percival and Mary C. (Spaulding) Pratt.
 
Esther
- graduated from Wakefield High School and UMass Amherst
- was inducted into the WHS Hall of Fame in 2007
- served as a librarian for the Abraham Lincoln School of Boston
- founded PAWS in 1982
- was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year in 1997 by the New England Federation of Humane Societies.
- was active in many town affairs including Trees for Wakefield, Friends of Lake Quannapowitt, Friends of the Beebe Library,       Friends of Breakheart Reservation and teaching the 4th grade school children about animal safety and care.
 
Esther Nowell was the wife of the late Carleton W. Nowell.
She was the mother of Paul P. Nowell, Sr. and his wife Dianne of Stoneham and Joyce N. Gantz of Bradford, MA.
She was the sister of Orison Pratt of Stoneham.
She was grandmother of Paul Jr., Kristen, Troy, Jill, and Rebecca and was the great-grandmother of 14.

The above was taken from Esther Pratt Nowell's obituary,which hardly does justice to this amazing woman.  She was an extraordinary woman who accomplished extraordinary things. 

Esther founded The Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society (PAWS) in 1982 at an age when others would be formulating retirement plans with visions of lazy days ahead.  

While she may have passed gracefully from this world on August 8, 2010, she did not depart without leaving an indelible mark on this world, in our hearts, and on the lives of so many homeless animals.


Esther had many roles in life, all of which she relished; wife, sister, mother of 2, grandmother of 5 , great grandmother of 14, and hero to countless animals and the families that adopted them.  Strong, dedicated, compassionate, loving, and even fearless are words that come to mind when one thinks of Esther.

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