Jacqueline DuBois Hayes, 86, of Westbrook, ME died December 16, 2019 at The Cedars in Portland with her two loving daughters by her side. She had been living with dementia for several years, and in September of this year she fell and broke her hip.
Jacqueline (or “Jackie”) was born on July 27, 1933 in Biddeford, ME and was the only child of Blanche and Robert Dubois. After graduating from Biddeford High School in 1951, she got a job at the telephone company; a job she was very proud of. When she married Frederick Hayes, of Portland, ME in 1959 they moved to Old Orchard Beach and she decided to be a stay-at-home mom and raise her 2 daughters. Once her daughters became adults, she went back to work for twenty-five plus years as a toll collector for the Maine Turnpike Authority.
Being a “mom” was undoubtedly Jacqueline’s most valued roll. She was her girls’ number one fan. She loved attending her daughters’ dance recitals, baton twirling competitions, band concerts, and sporting events; even into their college years at Bowdoin College. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed many of their costumes and dance dresses. She was crafty in other ways as well. When her daughter’s school band placed first in a marching band competition, she made a giant number “1” sign out of aluminum foil, placed it atop of her car, and proudly drove around town to celebrate the achievement. Jacqueline was never too old to join in on the neighborhood evening game of hide-and-seek, and often won. Of course, being a mom is not all fun and games. She fought tirelessly for her daughter’s right to play little league baseball with the boys. This same determination and focus served her well in her late 30’s when she started skiing, inspired by the Olympian Jean-Claude Killy. and this soon became a passion of hers. It was never too cold to go skiing. She would wake her daughters at 4:30 am to drive the Kancamagus Highway, reaching Loon Mountain when the lifts opened. When Jackie’s daughters were adults with their own children, she encouraged them to go on a yearly skiing vacation which became a treasured yearly family trip to Monte Saint Anne in Quebec. Eventually she had to stop skiing at the age of 74, but it remained a passion of hers even in her final days. As with skiing, Jacqueline never lost her love of dining out with family and having a cocktail; and continued to do so until she broke her hip. She also continued to enjoy spending time at the lake soaking up the sunshine, boating and watching her grandchildren swim and splash in the water.
Jacqueline is predeceased by her mother Blanche Therrien Dubois in 1986, her father Robert Dubois in 1950, and her daughter Mary Hayes who was stillborn in 1966. Jacqueline is survived by her two daughters, Sharon Hayes Hogan and her husband George Hogan of Portland, ME; Catherine Hayes and her partner, Kate Stern of Brunswick, ME; 5 grandchildren (Joshua, Sarah, Zachary, Ethan, and Noah) who all loved Grammy’s overflowing candy drawer) and her precious loving cat, Missy May.
The family would like to invite you to a time of visitation on Friday December 27th from 4:00 to 7:00pm at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St, Portland ME. A Funeral Service will be celebrated on Saturday December 28th at 11:00am at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home. Burial will be in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (https://arlgp.org), or the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer ’s Association (https://www.alz.org/ maine).
