Rachel Ringler Hexter passed away on April 9th at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst, MA. She was 90. Rachel is survived by her three children: son Jim and daughter-in-law Eileen, daughter Karen, all in the Boston area, and daughter Marla and son-in-law Larry of Schwenksville, PA. Rachel was the loving grandmother of Abigail, David, Lillian, and Nora. She is also survived by her three sisters, Jeanette, Ruth, and Beverly, and many nieces and nephews.
Rachel was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1929 to the late Louis Ringler and Lillian Kanner Ringler. The family moved to Los Angeles, CA in the late 1930s. After completing high school in Los Angeles, Rachel attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated in 1951 with a B.A. in Education. There she met her future husband, a PhD student named William Hexter who pre-deceased her in 2018. They married in 1950 and moved to Amherst in 1953.
Rachel started teaching at Cold Springs Elementary School in Belchertown in 1968. A dedicated educator, Rachel touched many young people over her more than 25 years teaching second grade. She retired in 1994.
In her free time Rachel enjoyed gardening, antiquing and reading. She and Bill split their time between Amherst and a second home in Seminole, Florida. They treasured their time with their grandchildren and family and traveled extensively.
Memorial gifts in her name may be made to the American Heart Association.