Eileen Mary (Hurley) Mack, 79

Eileen Mary (Hurley) Mack, 79, of Ayer, died Friday, Sept. 3 at Nashoba Valley Medical Center.

Prior to a short illness, she had been living at home with her husband, with the caring assistance of her two daughters and several close friends of the family.

Born in Franklin, New Hampshire, on June 13, 1931, she was the daughter of Mary “Rena” (Piper) Hurley and Richard Hurley. The family moved to Ayer in her youth and she was a graduate of Ayer High School. She received a Bachelor’s degree in History from Tufts University in the early 1950s and completed graduate coursework at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts.

Eileen taught in the Groton and Ayer school systems for a number of years, covering middle school classes and high school history classes from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s. In 1961, she married Harold C. Mack, of New York and Ayer. They raised two children and she returned to teaching as a substitute teacher in the Ayer school system. Later she became a part-time reference librarian at the Ayer Library in the 1980s.

Eileen enjoyed history, English literature, classical music and the natural sciences. She was particularly fond of geology and botany, interests that she shared with Harold and passed on to her children. She was also a member of the First Church Unitarian in Littleton and was dedicated to humanitarian and environmental causes.

She is survived by her husband, Harold C. Mack, her daughters, Barbara Mack and Laura (Mack) Allen, and her son-in law, David Allen.

Memorial services were held privately. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made in Eileen’s name to WGBH, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Natural Resources Defense Council or Amnesty International, all organizations that were deeply important to her.

The T.J. Anderson & Son Funeral Home, 25 Fitchburg Road, Ayer is assisting the family with arrangements. Please see www.andersonfuneral.com for additional information.