Valerie O'Leary: 1959-2011
Friends and colleagues, both current and past, are grieving the loss of Valerie O’Leary, a longtime and beloved staff member of The Cambridge School of Weston community, who died Wednesday of natural causes. She was 52.
In her nearly two decades here, Valerie touched all aspects of CSW life. She joined the school in 1993 as a chef in the dining hall and the summer camp and later became an administrative assistant to the deans. She also served as boarding life faculty and taught in the skills center, before moving into her most recent position in the business office in 2000.
Friends and colleagues, both current and past, are grieving the loss of Valerie O’Leary, a longtime and beloved staff member of The Cambridge School of Weston community, who died Wednesday of natural causes. She was 52.
The loss of Valerie is particularly felt by her colleagues, many of whom were some of her closest friends. Faculty and staff, who gathered Thursday morning in the Robin Wood Theatre to process the news of her death, were reminded that Valerie had considered the people of CSW her family. Her colleagues here said they would always remember her warmth, her wit and humor delivered with her Irish lilt, her blue ceramic mug from which she always drank her cup of tea, and the quirks that were uniquely hers
"Schools are very human endeavors that, as in all institutions, depend on human contact. Val was one of those rare individuals that transcend all boundaries and divisions and act to bind everyone together," said Tad Lawrence, science chair. " In no small way Val was responsible for keeping the adult community connected to one another and for making CSW the kind of place that it is."
In her most recent post as the human resource and payroll specialist, she understood human nature – that people were often no good at turning things in on time and needed multiple reminders to fill out tedious paperwork. She sent e-mails, followed up with phone calls, announcements at faculty meetings, or face-to-face reminders in the dining hall. If all else failed, she would fill it out form herself, then chase down her delinquent colleagues with a pen for their signature.
In her nearly two decades here, Valerie touched all aspects of CSW life. She joined the school in 1993 as a chef in the dining hall and the summer camp and later became an administrative assistant to the deans. She also served as boarding life faculty and taught in the skills center, before moving into her most recent position in the business office in 2000.
The loss of Valerie is particularly felt by her colleagues, many of whom were some of her closest friends. Faculty and staff, who gathered Thursday morning in the Robin Wood Theatre to process the news of her death, were reminded that Valerie had considered the people of CSW her family. Her colleagues here said they would always remember her warmth, her wit and humor delivered with her Irish lilt, her blue ceramic mug from which she always drank her cup of tea, and the quirks that were uniquely hers
"Schools are very human endeavors that, as in all institutions, depend on human contact. Val was one of those rare individuals that transcend all boundaries and divisions and act to bind everyone together," said Tad Lawrence, science chair. " In no small way Val was responsible for keeping the adult community connected to one another and for making CSW the kind of place that it is."
With students, she was firm but kind. As a dorm parent in the Barn, if she learned a student had not shown up for a morning class, she walked back to the dorm to personally get them up. As an elected member of the Judicial Board, she took care to listen to students and worked thoughtfully to create appropriate consequences for students.
Born and raised in Dublin, Valerie moved to the United States as a young adult. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Framingham State College.
She is survived by two brothers, Father Sean O’Leary, the director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute in Pretoria, South Africa, and Jerry O’Leary of Dublin, Jerry’s wife, Emer O’Leary, and their children, Niamh and Conn.
Memorial services for Valerie will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Saint Jude Parish on 147 Main Street in Waltham, Mass. Donations can be made in memory of Valerie O'Leary to the Denis Hurley Peace Institute, via the South African Catholic Bishops' Conference. More information and how to make a donation can be found on the SACBC website.
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CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.