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Lois Marie Papa Dudley

Lois Marie Papa Dudley died June 1 at Connecticut Hospice at the age of 95. She was born on March 25, 1928, in Wallingford, to Emma Novitch Papa and Donald A. Papa.

She moved to Guilford as a young woman and considered Guilford her lifelong home. She was valedictorian of her Guilford High School Class of 1946. She played basketball there and was the first woman elected to the Guilford High School Athletics Hall of Fame. She also played basketball at Connecticut College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1950. In her early life, she was employed at Niantic Women’s State Farm and Prison. She was one of the Founders and Director of Guilford Homemaker Home Health Services, which later merged with the Guilford Visiting Nurses Association. She spent over 45 years as a realtor with Pearce Real Estate. Her affiliations included a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI) designation, certification as a National Professional Standards instructor, and she held the prestigious Certified Residential Specialist designation. She was a former member of the Board of Directors for the Middlesex-Shoreline Association of Realtors, a recipient of the “Realtor of the Year” award, the Pearce Real Estate Community Service Award, and a member of the “Multi-Million Dollar Club.” Lois served on numerous community boards and committees, including the VNA, American Red Cross, Library Board, and Guilford Scholarship Association.

She enjoyed theater, opera, golf, tennis, and travel, and she was a proud member of the Guilford Pegasus Group and The New Haveners. She was a lifelong member of Pine Orchard Yacht and Country Club in Branford. She was also a lifelong member of St. George’s parish in Guilford, which provided refuge and solace after the death of her husband.

She was married 57 years to the love of her life, Marshall Dudley Sr. She is survived by her son Marshall Dudley Jr.; daughter Elizabeth Dudley Coles; son Matthew Dudley; daughter-in-law Lea Conner Dudley; granddaughter Morgan (Dudley) McCarthy; son-in-law Michael McCarthy; great-grandson Connor McCarthy; granddaughters, Erin Dudley, Catherine Coles, and Caroline Coles; grandson Robert Coles; sister-in-law Donna Papa; and nieces, Stephanie (Papa) Battapaglia, Stacey (Papa) DeMartino and Meredith (Papa) Eden.

Funeral and burial services will be held privately by the family. Contributions in Lois’ memory may be made to Connecticut College, Office of Advancement, 270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320; www.conncoll.edu/giving. Arrangements in care of the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.