Dr. Elizabeth Freund Fideler

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Elizabeth Freund Fideler of Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Born in 1942 in Manhattan, NY, the third of four children of Helen and Jacob Freund, Elizabeth or “Lizzie” as she was affectionately called early on, had an adventuresome spirit and a can-do attitude that stayed with her throughout her life. A natural athlete and lover of the outdoors, young Elizabeth enjoyed many sports including canoeing, swimming and tennis and gained a sense of independence during summers spent at sleep away camp. As a preteen, she showed her intrepid spirit, traveling by train from New York all the way to Sundown Ranch, an authentic dude ranch in Arizona, where she rode horses, mucked stalls and lived like a cowboy over the course of several summers. After graduating from Scarsdale High School, she headed to the Boston area to attend Brandeis University. Liz graduated from Brandeis in 1964 with her B.A. in Comparative Literature along with her new husband, Paul Fideler, then a graduate student at Brandeis and aspiring professor of history. Together, Liz and Paul would go on to settle in Framingham, MA, where they raised two children, a daughter, Anne Elizabeth and a son, James Paul. Liz and Paul were married for over 60 years.

Elizabeth began her professional career as an elementary school teacher in the Framingham Public Schools. After 13 years in the classroom, she enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned her Ed.D in Administration, Planning and Social Policy. She followed her doctoral studies with a leadership role at Mass. Bay Community College. Over the years, she worked in research at Recruiting New Teachers (RNT), Educational Development Center (EDC), and later at the Judge Baker Children’s Center. During that time, she became interested in the junction of aging and work, eventually becoming a founding member of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work at Boston College. Throughout her career, Liz never strayed far from her passion for research and education.

The Fideler family found community and fellowship at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, in Framingham, attending Sunday services and especially treasuring the parish’s annual Christmas Eve candlelight tradition. For many summers, Liz and Paul rented cottages near Nauset Beach in East Orleans on Cape Cod. After a full day at the beach, often accompanied by their beloved Hartney cousins, the Fideler’s could be found cheering on the Orleans Cardinals baseball team and stopping for ice cream cones on the way home.

Elizabeth demonstrated a lifelong commitment to furthering social justice and community causes. During the Vietnam War era, she and Paul found an outlet for their political views leading the Framingham Forum on Social Change, from 1969 – 1971. In the early-mid 1970s, Elizabeth became a Big Sister with Big Brother Big Sister’s Metrowest chapter. She joined the National Organization for Women in their effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. From 2007 – 2019 she served on the board of trustees of the Framingham Public Library as well as the Framingham Public Library Foundation. One of her most rewarding and notable projects during her library tenure included the construction of the new Christa McCauliffe branch which opened in the Nobscot neighborhood of Framingham in 2016.

In both work and life in general, Liz demonstrated an innate curiosity, careful attention to detail and a natural determination to succeed. So it didn’t surprise those who knew her that she’d try her hand at professional writing. She proudly published many books, several of them exploring research on older professionals who chose to stay in the workforce past conventional retirement age. Titles of these works include, Women Still At Work (2012), Men Still At Work (2014) and Aging, Work & Retirement (2020). She followed those efforts by curating and editing two handbooks on aging in the workforce called The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work (2021) along with a second edition of the same name to be published in 2025. Liz also dove head first into biographies focused on the life stories of formidable, influential women. She delved into the life of women’s rights activist, Margaret Pearmain Welch, in MARGARET PEARMAIN WELCH (1893-1984): Proper Bostonian, Activist, Pacifist, Reformer, Preservationist (Wipf & Stock, 2017) and more recently, told the life story of women’s suffrage and reproductive rights advocate, Blanche Ames Ames in Blanche Ames Ames (1878-1969) and Oakes Ames (1874-1950)—Cultivating That Mutual Ground (Resource Publications, 2023).

Liz was a towering figure to all who knew her, always careful to present a self-assured and extremely capable attitude. From the soccer field where she helped launch the first girls’ soccer team in Framingham, to the board room, at home with her family or traveling abroad, Liz was an undaunted and voracious lifelong learner. She loved word games; and could often be found challenging her granddaughter to Scrabble, tackling a tough jigsaw puzzle or navigating the NY Times crossword, even in the midst of her battle with cancer.

Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Paul, her daughter and son-in-law, Anne and John Richardson of Newmarket, NH, her son, James Fideler of Brooklyn, NY, and five grandchildren, Ian Richardson, Emma Richardson, Winsloe Fideler, Geideon Fideler and Oliver Fideler. Liz also leaves behind an extensive network of dear friends and neighbors near and far, her long-time book group, and many others who helped buoy her spirits, even when times were tough. We extend our deepest gratitude to the entire staff at the Miriam Boyd Parlin Hospice Residence for their kindness and care in the final stages of Elizabeth’s illness.

A celebration of Elizabeth’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Elizabeth Fideler may be made to the Friends of the Framingham Public Library.

To share a memory with Elizabeth’s family, kindly visit www.mccarthyfh.com