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Lauretta R. (Arventos) St. George-Sorel, 81, of Ware was called Home on November 30, 2021, surrounded by her loving family. She succumbed to complications from Covid-19.
Lauretta was born to Christos and Cecelia (Parker) Arventos on April 8, 1940 in Palmer, MA. She spent her childhood in Monson before moving to Ware, residing there for the remainder of her life.
Following high school, Lauretta began pursuing her dream of becoming a dance teacher while working for the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Springfield, MA. Being a pioneer of sorts, she opened her own business, the St. George Dance Studio in 1962, serving Ware and the surrounding communities. To this day, she is remembered warmly by the hundreds of students she taught and the countless lives she touched. After retiring from dance in the mid-1990s she returned to school and received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Westfield State College. She subsequently received a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College.
The next chapter of Lauretta’s life focused on her love of helping others. Upon successfully completing training at the Police Academy in Agawam, she began working at the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department in Ludlow, MA in 1992, first as a Correctional Counselor and then as the Family Services Specialist in the female offender unit. After retiring from that position, she held various roles including acting as a Spanish interpreter and tutoring English at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. At the Top Floor Learning Center in Palmer, she was the Director of Life Long Learning, a program offering adult literacy services. She also was the Facilitator of Survivors’ Bridge Therapeutic Writing Program, serving victims of domestic violence. Continuing on a similar path, she taught Spanish and Creative Writing at St. Mary’s School in Ware and the White Street School in Springfield. Never one to sit still, Lauretta became an adjunct faculty member in the English Department at Holyoke Community College, teaching Developmental English, Language, and Literature courses for over 15 years. In recent years she enjoyed writing articles for Turley Publications and the Ware River News.
A lifelong role model, educator and mentor to young and old alike, Lauretta passionately encouraged and motivated others to strive for excellence and achieve their goals. She never stopped learning and never stopped teaching. Her motto was: “Good, Better, Best, never let them rest, until your Good is Better and your Better is Best”. Lauretta loved to read, knit, sew, dance, and play the piano. She enjoyed traveling and went to Greece several times because of her Greek heritage. She also satisfied her adventurous side by visiting other countries of interest. Lauretta was known for her love of animals and frequently took in strays. Drawing on her life experiences, she often wrote short stories and poems, and was a published author. Her accomplishments were vast and wide.
Lauretta leaves her devoted husband Deacon Gilbert (Gibby) St. George-Sorel of 32 years; her three loving daughters, Wendy Piché and her husband Fred, Cindy St. George, and Ginny St. George and her partner David Ferris; her four grandchildren, who knew her as Yia Yia, Nicholas Martowski and his wife Seda, Evan St. George and his wife Erin, Jules Martowski and his wife Tomi, and Carolyn Piché; three great grandchildren, Ethan, Logan and Eleanor; her two cherished (and spoiled) cats Zoey and Friend. She also leaves her two sisters Shirley Higney and her husband Joe, Charlotte Mansfield and her husband Bob, as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was predeceased by her brother Norman Arventos.
Calling hours for Lauretta will be held Tuesday, December 21 from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Cebula Funeral Home, 66 South St., Ware, MA. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, December 22 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church, 57 South St., Ware, MA. Burial will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery, following the Mass.
Due to the recent rise in Covid-19 cases, the family strongly requests that masks be worn and social distancing guidelines followed while in the funeral home, the church and at the cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Church, 60 South St., Ware, MA 01082 or the Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101.
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