Amherst, MA – Lesley Jean (Jubinville) Crouse (1926-2026)
Lesley passed away after a short illness on September 17th. She was surrounded by loved ones including family and her special hospice caregiver. She will be remembered for her beloved outgoing personality, kindness to people of all ages and backgrounds, meticulous organizational skills, and witty comments.
She was born in Holyoke on May 6, 1926, to William E. and Jennie H. (Goss) Jubinville, and had an older brother, William F. Jubinville. The family moved to South Hadley when she was very young. Her maternal grandparents were Frank and Anne (MacDonald) Goss. Her paternal grandparents were Eugene and Minnie (McDowell) Jubinville. Her grandmothers came from Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively, to work in the Lowell mills.
As a youth, Lesley was a member of Rainbow Girls and worked at Steiger’s department store. She attended South Hadley High School and graduated in 1945. She went on to attend Westbrook Junior College in Portland, Maine (now University of New England), graduating in 1948. After college, she worked as a proofreader for Philip Hano Company in Holyoke and as a clerk for W.G. Brown Company in Gloucester.
Lesley met her husband Laurel E. (Larry) Crouse on a blind date arranged by a college friend in 1952 at Westover Air Force Base, where Larry was stationed before serving in the Korean War. They were married July 11, 1953, after he returned and they moved to Rockport, MA. Later, moving to Amherst, where they made a permanent home, first on Chestnut Street and later at Amity Place. They were married 54 years, until Larry’s death in 2007. They loved ballroom dancing, especially at the Whale Inn in Goshen; and they were expert gardeners, maintaining beautiful landscapes at their home in Amherst and summer house in Goshen.
Lesley and Larry raised three sons; Jeffrey of Amherst, Peter of Granby and William of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Growing up, all three boys were involved in sports, especially swimming, diving, and ice hockey. She got up early many mornings to drive them to the rink in Greenfield.
Passionate about the power of libraries, Lesley worked in three of them, first at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Goodell Library in the Reference Department and as Night Supervisor of the Circulation Department; then at Amherst College’s Frost Library in Special Collections; and finally at Amherst Regional Junior High School, where she served for 22 years as a Paraprofessional in the English, Social Studies, Science, and Art/Music Resource Centers.
Lesley loved doing research herself, and she helped many young scholars find sources for their projects when they thought there were none, often going well beyond her contractual duties. But, like any good educator, she didn’t do the work for them; she pointed them in the right direction and let them find their own way. She also collected clippings of area news and compiled an extensive vertical file for research on local history.
She was a member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. She also participated in numerous professional development courses to broaden her teaching skills and enrolled in several adult education workshops, including one on furniture refinishing, which became a hobby.
Always active in the community, Lesley chaired Amherst’s cancer drive for two years, and she taught Sunday School at South Congregational Church in Amherst. After Larry’s death, she became an active member of the church in Amherst, devoting time and energy to the church’s crafting group.
In her later years, Lesley enjoyed spending time with friends, especially walking around the UMass campus with her neighbor and former colleague Jane Findley. After moving to the Arbors at Amherst, she participated in activities and lively dinner conversations and enjoyed watching the birds and animals from her living room window. She also enjoyed frequent visits from family and from Gaye Pistel and other members of the South Church.
Lesley will always be remembered for the ways in which she helped and encouraged others. “I always knew that you were going to do great things”, she loved to say.
She is survived by her three sons, Jeffrey (Cathy), Peter (Vicky) and William (Jana); as well as her seven grandchildren, Kerry, Abby, Caden, Sarah, Austin, Dylan and Lauren; and eight great-grandchildren, Kiana, Manny, Jasmine, Jahiri Jr, Jaxson, Jack, Levi, and Daisy.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at South Amherst Congregational Church located at 1066 South East Street, Amherst, MA. A private burial will be held by the family in Goshen, MA. Thank you to Douglass Funeral Service of Amherst for their care in handling her services.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lesley’s memory to the South Amherst Congregational Church or Amherst Regional Middle School Library at 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes