LYNN — A plaque honoring longtime lunch lady Lydia Blocksidge, who died last December, was put on display at Aborn Elementary School on Monday morning.
Blocksidge, known to everyone as Miss Lydia, worked as a cafeteria server at Aborn from 1970 until 2018. She began working there as a volunteer when her kids attended the school.
Blocksidge ended up spending more than 40 years in the cafeteria, going in and out of classrooms, serving students their lunches and getting to know them and their families.
She was known by many teachers and former students as a great listener and the “neighborhood grandmother,” since she lived down the street from Aborn.
First-grade teacher Donna Amico said Blocksidge loved listening to students’ stories almost as much as she loved to tell her own stories of her husband, children and grandchildren.
“She enjoyed her job, the people and being able to help others,” Amico said.
Amico said Blocksidge would buy a large container of coffee every September to make the teachers feel welcomed back, and would make a tin of “Christmas toffee” every December, which would be gone by the end of the day.
“She was always so caring,” Amico said.
Since she knew all of the students by name, Amico said if a student was causing trouble, Blocksidge would point to them and say their name and the student would look at her with a bit of fear. Sometimes, students would even say “Don’t tell Miss Lydia,” if they got in trouble.
Fifth-grade teacher Jennie Hennessey had her lunch served by Blocksidge when she attended Aborn as a child, and so did her two children.
“She always had a smile for us and couldn’t wait to see pictures of them as they moved on to middle and high school,” Hennessey said.
Adjustment Counselor Lori Alcock said the Aborn community was heartbroken when Blocksidge died, so the plaque at the entrance of the school will remind people of how significant she was in the community.
“She was just a wonderful woman,” Alcock said. “She was so proud of her grandchildren and always loved to talk about them.”
Alcock recalled listening to and telling stories with Blocksidge, saying that she was always there for her and gave her great advice.
Since Blocksidge died in December during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers at Aborn said they weren’t able to host a memorial or honor her in the way they would’ve liked. They said if they could’ve done something bigger at the school, there would’ve been a line around the corner, since so many people knew and loved her.
“Everybody knew her and she just loved the kids so much,” said kindergarten teacher Maureen Gallant. “She would’ve hated the attention, but we just had to do something for her.”
The plaque now hangs on a wall in the hallway just past the front entrance, surrounded by plaques from a number of graduating classes, which were signed by graduates of that year.
“It’s perfect that the plaque is here, surrounded by names of so many students that loved her,” Amico said. “She was a gem and will be truly missed.”
