Dolores Wallenius
Claremont, NH – With hearts full of gratitude and sorrow, we announce the passing of a beloved wife, mother and grandmother Dolores Koziol Wallenius. The angels came for her at Valley Regional Hospital on August 16, 2026. She was 83 years old.
Born on October 13, 1942, she was the loving daughter of Stephen and Amelia Koziol of Chicopee, Massachusetts. A few years after she graduated from Chicopee High School, she was introduced to the love of her life by a mutual friend at a coffee shop. Not long thereafter he was drafted, and she waited for him dutifully to come back from his overseas service. She and Bill were married on May 7, 1966; a marriage that lasted 60 years.
They moved to Claremont in 1970 with their two sons, Michael and Eric. Their strong faith led them to become parishioners at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church; the perfect parish for them, given Dolores’s Polish Heritage. She delighted in the holidays, spending time with her brother, sister, nieces and nephews and in-laws every Christmas. One of her greatest joys was enjoying time with her three granddaughters.
Her love of children and her thirst for learning and self-improvement motivated her to go from volunteering as a Noon Aid at Maple Avenue School to being hired as the school librarian; a job she cherished for 27 years. During that time, she also served a term as the president of the local paraprofessional organization, which involved representing the organization in front of the Claremont School Board. She was also a member of the Lady Union Aide Society and performed in the Cardiac Capers Hospital fundraiser.
In retirement, Dolores resumed volunteering both at the Bluff School and as a ticket agent and usher at the Claremont Opera House. She also enjoyed preparing food for the annual Sports Night at St. Joe’s. She traveled with her husband Bill to visit Eric’s family in Texas, and they vacationed in Hawaii, Alaska, Italy and Mexico. In her down time, she enjoyed crocheting and reading Westerns. She was a great cook, who poured her heart into holiday meals, and was particularly good at Polish cuisine, including the best pierogis and go??bkis.
Dolores was an enormously curious person, who delighted in learning new things, going to new places and meeting new people. She was gregarious and would strike up conversations with the most unlikely strangers everywhere from the grocery store to restaurants, airports and riding the T in Boston. She had an intensely positive outlook and a laugh that brought a smile to everyone around her. She was a ray of sunshine to her friends and family and will be deeply missed.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by Michael and his husband Dan Bellemore of Goffstown, NH, Eric and his wife Laura (Nobel) of Palestine, Texas, and their daughters Ellen, Annika, and Katherine. She is also survived by her brother Stephen Koziol of Ludlow, Massachusetts and was pre-deceased by her sister Joan Koziol Roberts of Chicopee. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews
Calling hours will be at Stringer Funeral Home at 146 Broad Street in Claremont from 9:30 to 10:30 on Saturday, September 19th immediately followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph’s Church at 11AM on Elm Street.
Her family asks that if lieu of sending flowers donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
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