Alice C. Wadden of Cambridge, formerly of Watertown, passed away peacefully, on April 23, 2025. She was the beloved daughter of the late William R. & Catherine E. (Deasy) Wadden. Sister of Louise W. Guilmette of Greensboro, NC, the late Catherine E. Trainor of Mashpee, MA & Nicholas J. Wadden of Port Charlotte, FL. She is also survived by 7 nieces and nephews and 7 great nieces and nephews. Alice was an alumnae of Matignon High School class of 1956. She attended Boston College with the class of 1960 graduating with a BS in Elementary Education. Alice went on to obtain her master’s in education from Boston State in 1966 and the Goddard-Cambridge Graduate Program in Social Change in 1979 with a M.A. in Multicultural Education. 

Alice led her life with a love for education, appreciation of other cultures, and became an active advocate for immigrants seeking to follow their aspirations through her 30+ career in the Cambridge Public School system. Her BC College math professor said, “and if there is only one thing you have to give to the young, let it be enthusiasm, kindled by curiosity and guided by love.” This quote exemplifies her belief in how she led her life. Alice completed a yearlong sabbatical at the University of Lisbon Portugal-Faculdade de Letras (a course in Portuguese Language and Culture for Foreigners) in 1980 as well as trips to Haiti which strengthened her advocacy with her students. Alice’s impact can be seen through her community of former students and families while she taught elementary English as a Second Language. These relationships continued and strengthened decades after the students had left her classroom. 

Outside of her work, Alice was a strong member of her local parish, St. Luke's of Belmont where she was a choir member. At the time, for her, the choir was the heart of the church’s congregation. This fulfilled her with inspiration for love of church and community. Later, Alice became a member of the Winchester Area Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) and People of the Promise, enjoying their amazing faith community. 

During her retirement years, Alice was involved with CEASE, (Concerned Educators Allied for a Safe Environment) now called P.E.A.C.E. (Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere), a group that works to help teachers, children, and families learn and live nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution for public and private personal and community issues. A social justice supporter, Alice strove to encourage others to work within their communities to bring peace to all. She was a member of the Social Justice Ministry of the New Roads Parishes, member and President of American Association of University Women (AAUW) Lexington/Bedford branch and a 25-year member of The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA). Alice’s other interests included extensive family genealogy research, with travels to St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada where her ancestors first stopped on their emigration from Ireland.

A visitation will be held on Saturday May 17, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 11 AM in the MacDonald Rockwell & MacDonald Funeral Home at 270 Main St. Watertown followed by Funeral Service at 11 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Interment St. Patrick Cemetery, Watertown. The service for Alice will be live-streamed. To view service on May 17th at 11 AM, please click the link located below.

Alice spent her remaining years in assisted living at Cadbury Commons in Cambridge where she continued to enjoy meeting people and learning about their lives and cultures. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Alice’s memory may be made to P.E.A.C.E Inc., 30414 Oak St. Princess Anne, MD 21853 or at https://peaceeducators.org/