SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Laura Jane (Pascoe) May passed away at Baystate Medical Center on July 2 with family by her side. She was 91 years old. Laura was a resident of Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, Springfield, Mass., for the past seven years. She was born April 2, 1927, in East Windsor, Conn., and was the first of three children of Arthur Allen Pascoe and Inez Ellen (Hancock) Pascoe. Laura studied classical piano at The Hartford Conservatory in her pre-college years, and she was a natural when playing Johannes Brahms’ piano music. After high school, she furthered her education at LaSalle College, earning her Associates Degree.
She met her husband Richard D. May at a church dance in Hartford, Conn., in 1950. They married nine months later on June 30, 1951. They started their family in 1953, and by 1961 were the proud parents of five children.
Laura’s main passion was antiquing and running antique shows. During the 1970s, she dedicated her time to running the Sturbridge Antique Shows to raise money for the Sturbridge Rotary Scholarship Fund and for the Operation Friendship Fund. Running the Sturbridge Antique Shows gave her the knowledge and confidence to start up May’s Antique Market with her husband Richard in the Fall of 1977. The show was an instant success and continues to this day.
Laura was a skilled Texas Hold’em poker player and enjoyed the people that came with the game. She also loved animals and actively bred Labrador Retrievers for a number of years. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was known to pull pranks on those close to her. For instance, she served the family a chocolate cake after dinner one night and got a charge out of seeing their disappointment when they realized it was made of cardboard. Of course, Laura had a real cake waiting in the background.
She was predeceased by her husband Richard D. May, December 23, 2007, and her great grandson Vincent May, 4 months old, October, 2013. She leaves behind her sisters Marilyn Cavanaugh of Traverse City, Mich., and Susan Dunsford of Calistoga, Calif.; and her five children: Richard T. May and wife Joyce of Cranston, R.I., Martha J. May of Holyoke, Mass., Ellen L. May of Wilbraham, Mass., Susan B. Brown and husband Derick of Tucson, Ariz., and Charles A. May and wife Ulrika of Uddevalla, Sweden. She also leaves behind 11 grandchildren, six great grandchildren, two nephews and a niece.
Laura will be greatly missed by family and friends.
A Celebration of Life Service is planned for Tuesday, September 11, at 11 am, in the Skinner Memorial Chapel at the United Congregational Church of Holyoke, 300 Appleton Street, Holyoke, Mass., 01040. A reception will follow the service, and all are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to www.neads.org, a service dog organization. Beers and Story Palmer Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. Please visit www.beersandstory.com to sign the condolence register.
–Submitted by the family
