Marguerite Mary Garnhum age 79 of Canton passed away at home June 6th surrounded by her loving family. She was born February 20, 1933 in Canton, Massachusetts. Marguerite's mother, Julia Josephine Garnhum (nee Cahalane) gave birth to her at the family farm home located at 1201 Pleasant Street. She was the youngest of 10 children (Catherine, Marie, Edith, Catherine, George, Daniel, Charles, John, and Richard) born to Julia (Ma) and her husband, George Brenton Garnhum (Pa). She was a lifelong resident of the town.
Beloved mother of Brenton Martin and his wife Melanie of Brockton and Dana Martin and his wife Sheri of Andover. Grandmother of Katherine and Lilyanne of Brockton and Alexandra and Nicholas of Andover.
Marguerite loved to keep active throughout her life and maintained a strong faith in God. During her childhood she worked on the family farm tending to pigs, chickens,and a milking cow. She remembered Pa milking the cow and squirting her in the face as he milked, and also claimed to enjoy running her barefeet through the warm cow flaps in the field. She recalled churning butter with Ma and her sisters. She spent time at the Draper Estate learning to ride, saddle up, and care for horses. While she was employed at Factory Mutual, she was on the 1958-59 women's bowling league and her team won a first place trophy that season.
She held many positions over the years having worked at a "5 and 10," Rainbow Fishline in Canton, Factory Mutual Engineering in Norwood, Rust Craft Greeting Cards lettering dept. in Dedham, a school bus driver for over 20 years in Norwood, Westwood, and Dedham, worked at Power General in Canton, was a private child care provider for a bit, was a crossing guard for Stoughton Public Schools, worked as a matron for Stoughton and Canton Police Departments, and volunteered her time to pick up and deliver bakery goods to the many senior citizen complexes in Stoughton.
She was a very hard working woman, very loving, strict,and dedicated mother raising her two boys Brenton and Dana. When she set her mind to do something she could accomplish anything. She worked on her own vehicles, maintained and remodeled her childhood home by re-roofing, re-shingling, installing new windows, hardwood floors throughout, some electrical wiring and plumbing. She often said she was simply a care taker of Ma and Pa's home.
In more recent years, she enjoyed going on organized bus trips. She visited Niagra Falls, and Nova Scotia where her father grew up, and some local New England attractions. She traveled to Ireland with her sister Edith and brother-in-law Marcel Richard to meet and stay with relatives that still live there. She visited her mother's childhood home and church and many other attractions. After the trip she maintained communications with her cousins by phone and in writing and looked forward to a return trip someday.
She discovered an extended family of special friends at the Stoughton Senior Center. She planned every weekday around going to the center to socialize, have lunch, play bingo, watch movies, play Wii bowling, etc... She considered everyone there to be a special friend and member of her family.
Visiting hours at Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home 455 Washington St. Canton Friday 4-8pm. Funeral Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church Canton Saturday morning at 10:30. Interment Knollwood Memorial Park, Canton.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Stoughton Council on Aging 110 Rockland St. Stoughton, MA 02072.