WINDHAM – Hilda Marie Stairs, 92, passed away peacefully May 24, 2013, surrounded by her loving children. She was born Dec. 4, 1920, in Calpyso, N.C.
After graduating from high school, she moved to Baltimore. It was there she met her husband of 55 years, Carroll Arthur Stairs, who predeceased her. She was often compared to a Timex watch. She took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’. She fought cancer six times, the first time in 1952, pneumonia several times, a heart attack, several mini-strokes, and three months paralysis as a child. Despite these challenges she always had a great outlook on life. She loved to travel and traveled extensively with her husband, who was in the army. When he passed away, she traveled with her daughter and son-in-law, with whom she lived for the past 13 years. She loved to camp, going as far as Memphis, Tenn., to see the homestead of her ancestor President Andrew Jackson. She visited her sister in Montana, where they visited some of the national parks. She spent the winter in Arizona where she loved to watch the golfers go by daily. She had a great love of God and was active in her church until her health prevented it. In her younger years, she was a scout leader for her three sons and daughter. She was a nurses’ aid, delivered meals-on-wheels, and taught Sunday school. She loved to garden, read, and ride around the lake in the boat, kayak and on the jet ski. She loved to tell stories of her many adventures in life. She also loved to cuddle with her great-grandchildren and read to them.
She is survived by her children and their spouses, Terry and Tammy Stairs of Hermon, Dean and Suzan Stairs of Rockport, Mass., Louanne and Vinal Doody of Windham, and Don and Tammy Stairs of Hampstead, N.H.; grandchildren, Kimberly, Melissa, Tyler, Corey and Dustin Stairs, Kira Nota and her husband, Mark, Chad Doody and his wife, Emilie, Melanie Hinkle and her husband, Ray; and great-grandchildren, Moriah, Shiloh and Elijah Doody, Toby and Zoe Nota, and Guinevere Hinkle.
A Celebration of Life, with reception to follow, will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 151 W. Gray Road, Gray. She will be interred Monday, June 3, at Waugh Cemetery, Levant. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Myositis Organization for DM research at www.myositis.org or 1737 King St., Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Hilda Marie Stairs
