Gladys Constance Rege, 90,With Ties To Newton, Brookline Dies

NEWTON, MA — Gladys Constance Rege, 90, formerly of Newton and Brookline passed away peacefully at her home in Amherst on March 27, 2018, surrounded by her family. Vibrant and adventurous, she moved between countries many times throughout her life and marriage. Although she lived with Alzheimer’s disease for a decade, she continued to enjoy life, with the support of family, friends, and dedicated caregivers.

Gladys was born in London, England on October 31, 1927, to Elizabeth (Tidy) and Charles Sharp, the seventh of eight children in a close-knit family. She was a bright student, and won a scholarship to Parliament Hill grammar school. When war broke out and London was being bombed, the students were evacuated to St. Albans in Hertfordshire, where Gladys stayed with different foster families. After the war she worked in offices in the West End of London and did substitute-teaching in the East End. Always active, she took night classes in ballet and German, went youth-hosteling, and met actor Paul Robeson when he toured the slums of London, and marched for Indian independence from British rule.

During this time Gladys met Madhukar (Manya) Rege, who had come from India to study architecture. They were married on July 4th, 1953. In 1955, six months after their first daughter Josna was born, they boarded a steamer for India. Their second daughter, Shalini (Sally), was born in Kharagpur, West Bengal, where they lived while Manya worked at the Indian Institute of Technology. A year later, the family moved to Athens, Greece, where Manya worked with the city planner Doxiadis and Gladys raised their daughters, learned the language, and hosted parties for their international circle of friends. Returning to Kharagpur in 1964, Gladys maintained a home filled with Manya’s colleagues and students and her children’s friends, learned Hindi and Indian cooking, and taught English to low-caste (Dalit) children.

In 1970, Gladys immigrated to the United States with her daughters, joining her husband, who had arrived the previous year, in Brookline. She began working for Dr. Joseph J. Schildkraut at Massachusetts Mental Health Center. Taking night classes while working full-time, she earned her B.A. from Harvard Extension School. She also studied the science behind Dr. Schildkraut’s research, so as to take a more active role in his work. Their Christmas parties with friends and co-workers, where they served Gladys’ trifles and Manya’s samosas, became an annual tradition.

In 1993, after having lived in Brookline and Newton for 23 years, Gladys and Manya retired to Amherst, where Gladys got involved in the community, joining a Third Age group, studying Buddhism and tai-chi, and volunteering as an ESL teacher. At home she enjoyed reading, gardening, bird-watching, cross-country skiing, and walking along the bike path. Above all, she was a devoted grandma, who loved nothing more than playing with her two grandsons. Gladys outlived her husband of 63 years by just 18 months, and continued to mention his name until her death.

Gladys will be deeply missed by her daughters, Josna Rege of Amherst, and Sally Rege Carroll of North Reading, her grandsons, Nikhil Melnechuk of New York, NY and Tyler Carroll of North Reading, and her sons-in-law Andrew Melnechuk and Kevin Carroll. She also leaves her sister, Elizabeth Duffy, of London, England, and many nieces and nephews and their children. Gladys was predeceased by her brothers, Charles, Leonard, and Edward Sharp, and her sister Irene Hanlon.

- Obituary and photo submitted by her daughter Sally