Mary A. "Polly" (Hallsworth) Dunham, 94, died Wednesday March 15, 2006 at the New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home. She was the wife of the late William Earl Dunham.
Born on May 11, 1911 in Paisley, Scotland, she was the daughter of the late Thomas and Margaret (Evans) Hallsworth. After the death of her father, the family sailed to America aboard the ship Columbia in search of better times. They resided with her uncle, Samuel Evans, in Patterson, New Jersey. After graduating from St. Joseph's High School, she worked at St. John's Guild, a publishing company in Patterson.
Following her marriage, she resided in Greenwich Village in Manhattan before moving to Fair Lawn, New Jersey where she lived for many years. Later she spent her summers in Toms River, New Jersey and winters in Lighthouse Point, Florida. She lived in Mattapoisett for about 15 years before moving to the Heritage at Dartmouth and later to the Jewish Convalescent Home.
At an early age, she learned to sew, crochet, and play bridge, which became a lifelong pursuit. She taught bridge in Marion, Toms River, and Lighthouse Point. An avid reader, she especially enjoyed science fiction works by Isaac Asimov and romance novels set in the Highlands of her native Scotland. Along with her husband, she learned Spanish to keep her mind sharp. With her good friend, Arlene Mitchell, she combed barns and antique shops throughout New Jersey and Connecticut searching for antiques.
An accomplished artist, she was active in the Art Associations of Bergen County, Fair Lawn, and Ridgewood, New Jersey. She studied art with the well-known artist, Helen Van Wyk, and specialized in seascapes in oils and portraits in pastels. She showed her work in many juried art shows, and received numerous ribbons for her work.
She is survived by a son, Robert E. Dunham and his wife Mary Jane of Conyngham, Pennsylvania; a daughter, Margaret A. "Peggy" Cooper and her husband Neil of Mattapoisett; four grandchildren, Mary Catherine Guillotte, Clinton Hallsworth Cooper, Samantha Mary Dunham, and Brian Robert Dunham; and three great-grandchildren, Thomas DeBortoli, Samuel Earl Cooper, and Madalyn Anne Cooper.
She was the sister of the late Thomas Hallsworth, Robert Hallsworth, and Margaret Matonti.
Her Memorial Service will be held on Saturday March 25, 2006 at 12 Noon in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in St. Anthony's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Mattapoisett Library Trust, Inc., P.O. Box 475, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.