Ana Dolores Grist, age 93, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 after struggling to recover from hip surgery after a fall. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the late Enrique D’Almonte and Ana Prieu on February 17, 1927.

She grew up in Argentina and spent much of her youth in the town of Adrogué and had a passion for education, reading and for keeping things organized. She received a Masters of Library Science degree from University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She later worked as a librarian at the Museum of History in Buenos Aires and as a Professor at the University in the School of Library Science in literature and philosophy.

She spoke often of her family and friends who she missed dearly after she moved to the United States around the age of 33, to take a job with the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Amid the cherry blossoms and at a work outing to a Washington Senators baseball game, escorted by a gentleman from the National Park Service, she met her late husband, John Grist, Jr. She went on to start a family that she never really expected. She and her family moved from Arlington, VA, to Little Neck, NY and eventually settled in Amherst, MA, where she raised her children with that same focus on education and care.

She returned to work as a librarian at the Clark School for the Deaf in Northampton, MA and visited her family in Argentina when she could. She enjoyed trips to Wells and the coast of Maine and loved the ocean. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, birds, and just being outside in the sun. After retiring, she enjoyed her condo life and left an impression with everyone she met, whether it was the manager at CVS or the people she met at the hospice store in Amherst where she volunteered into her late eighties. She eventually moved to Salem, NH to be in assisted living when she turned 90. She continued to charm people with her collection of gestures and faces and her Spanish accent that never left her. She will always be remembered by people for looking lovely and being put together in an elegant way whether she was going to the grocery store or walking down the hall. She will be dearly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.

Ana is survived by her daughter, Cecilia Lund and husband Tom, her sons, Alex Grist and Paul Grist and wife Heidi, and the grandchildren she cherished: Danielle, Christopher, Dianne, Jacob, Julia, Alee and Alexander, and step grandsons, Brayden and Keagan, and all her loving family members in Argentina.

“Lamento muchísimo la partida a la casa del Padre de Tía Chiche, abrazo de corazón a corazón a toda la familia Grist- D’Almonte”

There will be a private family service at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, MA on Friday, June 26th, followed by a public graveside service at the North Amherst Cemetery at 1PM. As a reminder, please wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines at the cemetery. For anyone wishing to honor her memory, please send flower donations to the Douglass Funeral home, Amherst MA for the service or make a donation to the Fisher Home Hospice shop or the library of your choice.