Agnes C. Esty, of Framingham, MA, passed away on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the age of 90. Called “ACE” (for her initials) or “Ginger” (for her long red locks), she was born to Virginia Merriam Crowley and Frank Crowley on March 23, 1934, in Great Barrington, MA.
Affectionately dubbed the “Mayor of Salem End Road,” Ginger Esty was lauded for her civic work. In the town (now city) of Framingham, she was a Town Meeting member, a Selectwoman, and Commissioner of Public Works, a position earlier held by her grandfather, “Gigi” Bernard F. Merriam. She was also Director of Tourism and Development for Middlesex County.
Ginger attended Framingham Public Schools and Wellesley College (class of 1955). She had a great love of beauty and a keen competitive nature. She excelled in sports, including tennis, water ballet, swimming, and ice skating, filling in for boys baseball teams, and had mean badminton and croquet swings. She was the first female lifeguard at the Children’s Beach in Nantucket. She also lent her strong alto voice to many church choirs and the Lexington Choral Society.
Known for her lobster obliteration skills, Ginger loved the ocean and spent as much time as she could in Chatham, Nantucket, and Orr’s Island, ME. Her home and gardens were her sanctuary and a feast for soul and eyes. “Be Nice or Leave,” read a sign above the door of her beloved cottage, and she meant it. Never one to mince words, Ginger was a force of nature, devoted public servant, and strong matriarch. She will be sorely missed by those who loved her.
Ginger is survived by sisters Gigi Belforte and Nan Gulliver; children and children-in-law Pamela Esty, John Stuart Esty, Cynthia Esty, Rebecca and Robert Hillman, Hannah Esty and Russell Garrison, and Charles and Rebecca Esty; 21 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 11:00 AM ET, at Plymouth Church, 87 Edgell Road, Framingham, MA. Friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of her life.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Framingham Heart Study or the Garden in the Woods.
Arrangements by the McCarthy, McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home of Framingham. To share a memory with Agnes’ family, kindly visit www.mccarthyfh.com
Chesmore Funeral Home