Priscilla Constable

Priscilla McCaffrey Constable

1919 - 2016

Share Your Memory of
Priscilla

Obituary of Priscilla McCaffrey Constable

Priscilla McCaffrey Constable, an elegant hostess, former fashion designer and avid gardener, died March 22 at the Essex Meadows community in Essex, Ct., where she had lived for many years with her husband, the late James Cheston Constable. She was 97, and even as she grew frail and her memory faded, she bestowed her twinkling smile and cheerful wave on all who passed by. Born and raised in Boston, Priscilla attended the Woodward and May schools, enjoyed summers in Maine and New Hampshire, and took Sunday strolls on Commonwealth Avenue with her beloved father, Robert Remington McCaffrey. The crash of 1929 abruptly altered the family's circumstances and ended her formal education, but through perseverance and creative imagination, she parlayed her skill with a sewing machine into a brilliant career in fashion. During the 1940s, she designed wedding and debutante gowns for Henri Bendel in New York, and sometimes modeled them for Vogue and other magazines. Shortly after the end of World War Two, she met and became engaged to Cheston, who had just resigned his wartime commission as a U.S. army captain. After a glamorous social whirl in post-war Manhattan, the couple married in July, 1948. In the custom of the time, their wedding announcement made no mention of her career, but she designed and wore a wedding gown of pale pink satin overlaid with cinnamon lace. Several years later the couple moved to Greenwich, Ct., where Cheston went to work for the IBM Corp. and they adopted two children. As a suburban homemaker, Priscilla turned her artistic talents to charitable and social pursuits. She was an active member of the Green Fingers Garden Club in Greenwich and the Colony Club in New York, and volunteered for numerous causes. As frugal and generous as she was stylish, she hosted memorable dinners and continued to create stylish "costumes" for herself and the daughters of friends and relatives. The family spent many happy summers on Nantucket Island. After Cheston retired from IBM in the 1970s, the couple moved to Essex, where their riverfront home welcomed many guests and their annual Christmas Eve party became a popular social event for more than two decades. Priscilla continued to volunteer and was deeply involved in the development of the Lyme Academy, now the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, in Old Lyme, Ct.. In 2004 the couple retired to Essex Meadows, where Cheston passed away in 2013. Priscilla is survived by her son, Timothy C. Constable, a computer consultant in Watertown, Ma.; her daughter, Pamela G. Constable, a journalist and author in Fairfax, Va., and two granddaughters. A memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday, April 16th, at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Old Lyme. Ct.. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Lyme Academy. To post a memory or condolence, please visit www.rwwfh.com, the website of Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home.

Memorial Service

April 16, 2016 12:00 PM Saint Ann's Episcopal Church 82 Shore Road Old Lyme, CT 06371

Burial

Sunday April 17 2016 Riverview Cemetery North Main St Essex, CT 06426