ESSEX: Irene (Bolton) Hayes, 89, died Saturday, March 29, 2014 in the Ledgewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Beverly. Irene was the loving wife of the late Stanley G. Hayes.
Born July 23, 1924 at Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Mary (Holliday) Bolton. Within a few weeks of birth, Irene went to London and Beverley, Yorkshire, England to see grandparents and extended family. Later in life, visits were exchanged between relatives in Ottawa, and Brampton, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Although she had extended family in Australia, she never had an opportunity to meet them.
Her marriage to Stanley brought an extended family who lent a warm local presence in the form of grown children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Each of them brought a special joy, but particularly the relationship and love shared with her great-granddaughter, Ramona L. Brewer who lived nearby.
Growing up in Beverly and graduating from Beverly High School in the Class of 1943, Irene was a member of the Glee Club and on the staff of the “Aegis”. For over thirty years, she sang in the choir of St. Peter's Episcopal Church and also taught in the Church's Sunday school.
After working in several offices as a bookkeeper and her marriage to Stanley, Irene worked in his real estate office. Thereafter, Stanley and Irene owned and operated a retail business in Essex from which they retired and continued to live in Essex. After Stanley's death, Irene made the Essex Senior Center a hub of her activity where she made many meaningful friendships over the remainder of her life.
It was Irene's wish that family and friends remember her in their own way, without services. In lieu of flowers, she requested that donations be made in her memory to the charity of one’s choice.