Dr. Loren N. Gould, Ed.D

Hardwick – Dr. Loren N. Gould, EdD, 87, of Hardwick died on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at his home.

He was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Elaine (Cel) Gould, his brother, Kenneth W. Gould, niece, Lois Stephens, nephews, John and Michael Poe, and his brother-in-law, Charles Parsley.  He is survived by his sister, Lois Poe of Richmond, Virginia, his sister-in-law, Jeanne Parsley, and several nieces and nephews, Diane Paster, Grant Poe, Mary Noyes, Teresa Lenz, Linda Thomas, Susan Marrone, Steven Poe, MarthaJeanne Barton, Karen Baron, Cynthia Baehr, and Andrew Parsley. He was born in Worcester, son of the late Willard C. and Mary L. (Conway) Gould.  He earned a Bachelor and Masters degree from Clark University, and his Doctorate of Education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Dr. Gould served as a Sergeant in the Transportation Corps of the U.S. Army from 1953-1955 during the Korean War, stationed in Newfoundland.  He then served as a National Park Ranger at Grand Coulee Dam National Recreation Area in Washington State in 1957-1958, and then worked as an Editorial Assistant for the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C. from 1958-1959.  In the fall of 1959, he was appointed instructor in Geography at the State Teachers College in Worcester, from which he retired in 1993 as a full professor.  During his service at what became Worcester State University, he was Director of Institutional Research, for 15 years, a job he truly enjoyed.  He and his wife published two books on crafts for the elderly in the 1970’s and both spent more than 25 years volunteering with various agencies supporting the elderly, the longest being with the Worcester Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

Dr. Gould traveled widely through all 50 states and the 10 Provinces of Canada as well as Great Britain and New Zealand.  After his wife’s death, he became an amateur cook specializing in desserts much to the delight of his “testing crew” in Hardwick.  In his final years, he wrote a weekly Jottings column in the Ware River News and a monthly column for the Tri-Parish Herald.  He lived a full life and died as he had lived, a “Christian” atheist. 

A Service of Remembrance for Loren will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 2:00PM in the New Braintree Congregational Church, 3 Oakham Rd., New Braintree.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the East Quabbin Land Trust, P.O. Box 5, Hardwick, MA 01037. 

Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main St., in West Brookfield is assisting his family with arrangements.  An online guestbook in available at varnumfuneralhome.com

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