Obituary of Grace A. Billings

Grace Alice Billings, passed away suddenly in Manassas, Virginia on November 11, 2022, at the age of 91. Notable locations where she lived were Rockville, Connecticut 1931-1953; New York City 1953-1955; Amherst, Massachusetts 1955 – 1958; 1961-1962; Gunnison, Colo. 1958-1961; Brookfield-Randolph area in Vermont 1968-1974; Juneau, Alaska 1974 – 1982, and several locations in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, and Virginia. Grace is survived by her two sons, Jonathan (Tish) and Ethan (Brandi) and three granddaughters, Anna, Zoey, and Tatum. She is also survived by her two sisters, Joan Apel (George) and Janet Belber (Jerry) and by her sister-in-law Carolyn “Canna” Falby (Billings). She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward A. “Deke” Billings, by just 10 weeks, and by her son, Peter King Billings, in 2005. Born Grace Alice Dresser on May 3, 1931, in Rockville, Conn., she was the eldest daughter of Allen L. and Janet G. Dresser and was named after her two grandmothers. She was the 1949 valedictorian of Rockville High School and attended the 50th anniversary class reunion. Following in her father’s footsteps, she was a 1953 graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. A home economics major and remained a proud alumna. Her first love career-wise was as a Registered Dietician. Grace held dietician positions at the Veterans’ Hospital, Northampton, Mass., Central Vermont Community Hospital, Berlin, Vermont, and advised several nursing homes on dietary matters. The capstone of her career was as Nutrition Program Administrator with the State of Alaska Office on Aging. Grace saw the opportunity the move to Alaska would provide for her family, and she embraced the challenge to the benefit of all. She maintained her credentials with the American Dietetic Association and membership with the American Association of University Women for many years. Grace enjoyed flower gardening, knitting, baking, and playing piano and organ for her own enjoyment and for church activities. Grace married her husband, Edward A. “Deke” Billings (born Dean Ellsworth Buell) on June 11, 1955, in Rockville, CT. She raised three sons and endured many relocations throughout her life following the whims of her husband, Deke. She was the household organizer, saw to the details of domestic life and was the glue that held the family together. Grace will be laid to rest in the North Amherst (E. Pleasant St.) Cemetery, in Massachusetts, next to her husband, Deke and their son, Peter. A Celebration of Life will take place at Beers & Story Funeral Home, 646 Newton Street, South Hadley, Mass. at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Anyone wishing to contact the family please email, Jonathan Billings at jab703@verizon.net or write Ethan Billings, PO Box 35761, Juneau, Alaska 99803.