Meredith ---- Margaret Rose (Seaver) Hayes Bell, passed away on Sunday, November 22, 2020, at Concord Hospital. Margaret was born on December 21, 1926, in Arlington, MA, to George R. Seaver and Mary J. (Ahearn) Seaver. She was the oldest of four children, having two sisters and one brother.
Margaret graduated from Arlington High School in 1944, and then attended the Carney-Laboure Hospital School of Nursing in Boston, MA. It was during that time that she met her handsome and loving husband, Robert J. Hayes (Frank) who had just returned from active duty with the U.S. Army in New Guinea. Margie and Frank were married in 1946 and began their 50-year married life together, which ended in January 1996, when Frank passed away. Family meant everything to them; they raised five children together, imparting the gifts of love, faith, education, storytelling, and understanding. They taught their children to be kind, and to live by the Golden Rule, both by words and example. Many happy family times were spent with memorable vacations on Cape Cod, trips to amusement parks, and miniature golf. They spent lots of summer days at the ocean, and winter days sledding and ice skating.
Margaret joined the working world several times while raising her children. She worked as a pediatric nurse at Waltham Hospital. Later in life she rose through the civil servant ranks with the Department of Defense at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, MA. She loved to travel, and among other venues visited the homestead of her mother in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.
Margaret was fiercely loyal, bitingly funny, unconditionally loving, and unspeakably courageous. She was an independent woman who loved politics and reading. When visiting Mom, her children would often find she had CNN or the Cooking Channel on her television. She loved keeping in shape, with Jack LaLanne as her guru in the 1950's. She loved swimming, Nautilus, rug-hooking, sewing, crafts, baking, fashion, and decorating. No matter how busy she might be, there was always a full dinner on the table every night for her family.
After Frank died in 1996, Mom met John Benson Bell at her widow/widowers support group at St. Eulalia's Church in Winchester, MA. He swept her off her feet and they retired, married, and embraced a whole new adventure with their life together in Viera, and then Sebastian, FL. They found new friends, a beautiful new home, and, of course, a lovely swimming pool so they could both swim and stay active.
Margaret is lovingly remembered and survived by her two daughters, Margaret (Peggy) Andrews of Laconia, NH, and Maureen Heiligmann and her husband Wayne Heiligmann of Meredith, NH; and her three sons, Robert J. Hayes and his wife Linda Rose Hayes, of Clermont, FL; Joseph G. Hayes of Stoneham, MA; and Michael G. Hayes and his wife Carol Hayes of Nahant, MA. She is also survived by her loving sister and best friend Mary J. Kirby and her husband (Ret.) Colonel Edward J. Kirby of Nashua, NH; and her brother, George R. Seaver and his wife Nancy Seaver of Alexandria, VA; and a brother-in-law Joseph Valle of Falmouth, MA. Also surviving Margaret are six grandchildren: Christian Andrews and his wife Regina Andrews of Atkinson, NH; Dr. Edward E. Andrews III and his wife Mary Andrews of Medfield, MA; James (Rocky) Pembroke and his wife Jennifer Pembroke of Belmont, NH; and Will Hayes and Michelle Hayes of Nahant, MA. Step-grandchildren include Corey Ann (Heiligmann) Giroux and her husband Attorney Corey Giroux of Danbury, NH; Michael Heiligmann and his wife Catherine Heiligmann, BSN, ARNP of Middlefield, CT; Tiffany Schivley of Hawaii; Vale and Garth Giltner of Texas; Bethany Schivley and Parker Schivley of Orlando, FL. Great-grandchildren include, Isabelle Andrews, Hunter Andrews, Will Andrews, Maggie Andrews, Gavin Pembroke, Evan Pembroke, Jaiden Manzemet, Aaliyah Webb, and Kaitlyn Forester. Margaret also leaves behind many loving nieces and nephews.
Margaret was predeceased by her parents, her two husbands, her sister Florence A. Mulkern, her brother-in-law Matthew T. Mulkern, her brothers and sisters-in-law, Frederick Hayes, Edna Hayes, Manual Valle and Annellen Valle, as well as her late son-in-law Edward E. Andrews II.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staff who cared for Margaret at Meredith Bay Colony Club (MBCC) in Meredith, NH, where Margaret made her home for the last four years. A special thank you to Donna of MBCC, who not only cared for Mom, but also became a loving advocate and friend to her. Also, a special thank you to Clare of Lakes Region Visiting Nurses Association who spent many hours lovingly enhancing Margaret's quality of life and became a dear friend. Finally, to the doctors, nurses and staff who treated Margaret in her final days at Concord Hospital with the utmost of respect and attention, the family thanks you with our deepest appreciation.
There will be no public calling hours due to the restrictions of Covid-19.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in June of 2021 at St. Eulalia's Church in Winchester, MA.
For those who wish, the family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Margaret's name be made to Boston College High School, 150 Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester, MA 02125, and/or Rosie's Place, 889 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118, for which Margaret was a volunteer.
Assisting the family with arrangements is the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH 03246. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com
"When she shall die,
Take her and cut her out in little stars,
And she will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”