Gladys Heald ... enjoyed summers on Bow Lake; at 103

STRAFFORD - Gladys Jordan (Addison) Heald, 103, of Province Road died on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at home after a brief illness.

She was born Jan. 26, 1920, in Melrose, Mass., the daughter of Carl and Emma Mae (Jordan) Addison. Gladys has resided full time in Strafford since 1978. She was a longtime member of the Bow Lake Free Will Baptist Church, Strafford Women's Club, Bow Lake Ladies' Circle, and the Strafford Historical Society. She served for many years as the Secretary for the Third Baptist Church in Center Strafford and the Bow Lake Free Will Baptist Church. Prior to that, she was an active member of the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church and later the United Church of Christ, Congregational in Burlington, Mass.

Her history with Strafford goes back to the days of her youth when her parents rented any one of several different farm houses for the summer months. Gladys enjoyed everything the area had to offer along with her mother and three sisters (and/or other friends and guests) during the week. On Friday night they never knew how many friends or co-workers her father would show up with to spend the weekend. She has commented that her mother did nothing but bake the whole weekend because there were so many mouths to feed!

Gladys graduated from Melrose High School in 1937. She was recruited at a career day during her senior year and accepted a secretarial position at the Duro Pump Co. in Boston. There she met her future husband, Jim. They were married in the summer of 1941. Their daughter Susan was born in 1942 and son Jimmy in 1945. Shortly after this they purchased a house in Melrose across the street from her parents (convenient for baby-sitting!). Also, during this time they purchased a camp lot from George Thorne on the "back road" above Water St. overlooking Bow Lake. It was a 30' X 60' lot and cost $75! There Jim built the cottage that allowed their family to enjoy the same type of unbelievably wonderful summers Gladys had experienced in Strafford many years before. Son John arrived in 1955 and the cottage was expanded to accommodate the family of five.

After 25 years of being a full-time housewife, Gladys decided to rejoin the workforce in 1967. She found things had changed a lot since 1942, but quickly adapted. She started working "mother's hours" for Manpower. They provided temporary fill-in workers. She held several temp positions at companies such as Mitre Corporation and American Optical. Eventually she went to Arkwright Insurance Company in Waltham and that led to a full-time Underwriter position. She worked there until moving to Strafford in 1978. Not quite ready to retire, she worked for a few more years as the secretary to the principal of the Strafford schools. Gladys was particularly proud when the Town of Strafford honored her with a framed document signed by the Selectmen for becoming a "Centenarian" in 2020 and thanked her for her many contributions to the community over the years.

The widow of James F. Heald, she is survived by sons, James A. Heald and his wife Beverly and John Heald and his husband Everett Langley; grandchildren, Karl Ericson, James R. Heald, Jennifer Clapp and her husband Karl, Pamela Weir and her husband Will; six great grandchildren, Zachary Ericson, Mason and Jordan Weir, Kayla and Kristopher Clapp and Matteus Heald. Gladys was predeceased by her sisters, Ruth Lof, Doris Lake, Marion MacDonald and recently by her daughter, Susan Jane Heald.