Reading, MA — Paul Coolidge Dustin, former Moderator, and Selectmen, passed away on June 12, 2024, at the age of 93.
Dustin was elected as a member of Town Meeting in 1969. “I was elected in 1969, on my second try, actually. In those days, it took a couple of elections before you made it,” Dustin said.
In 1987, Dustin was elected as Moderator of Town Meeting. “Reading Town Meeting is a rite of spring for some people.” “They perceive it as a god-given right to get up and expropriate time.” He served in the position until 1997.
Dustin, a man of many roles in our community, was elected to a one-year term to the selectmen in 1982 when the board expand from three to five members. He was then reelected in 1983 for a full three-year term, serving once as chair. Dustin also served on the Board of Public Works for six years, two as chair. His contributions extended to the board of appeals and the recreation committee, where he served as a member and chair.
Full obituary
Paul Coolidge Dustin, a resident of Peabody for nine years, formerly of Reading, passed away on June 12, 2024, at the age of 93. Paul is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Eleanor Stinson Dustin. He was the father of Elizabeth Anne Dustin of Belmont and Martha Dustin Boudos and her husband Tim of Wilmette, IL, and grandfather of Natalie and Alex Boudos and Caroline and Henry Dustin. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.
Paul was born in Boston on September 24, 1930, son of the late Maurice and Ruth Coolidge Dustin. Paul grew up in Boston, graduated from Northeastern University, and worked as a product assurance engineer throughout his career in the aerospace and defense industry. He served in the US Army during the Korean War and retired from the Army Reserves as a major. During his many years in Reading, Paul served as town moderator for 10 years and as a selectman for four years. He loved boats and was an avid sailor, as well as a ship model builder and member of the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild and the US Power Squadron. He also volunteered for many years as a docent at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.
Funeral services will be private with no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Brooksby Village Residents Fund, 303 Brooksby Village Drive, Peabody, MA 01960.
