Mary W. Perkins, a longtime resident of Hamilton, Mass. and Round Pond, passed away on July 16, two weeks after celebrating her 102nd birthday. “Moots,” as she became known to her grandchildren and family, deeply touched and influenced the lives of her family and many true friends across the generations and will be missed dearly.
Born on July 2, 1923 to Katherine (Winslow) and Louis McCagg, Mary grew up in New York City and Boston, with summers spent in Newcastle and Newport, R.I. Mary attended Chapin School in New York City, Wheeler School in Providence, R.I., and graduated from Beaver Country Day School in Newton, Mass. in 1941.
During WWII, Mary enlisted in the Navy Waves as an operating room nurse, an experience she recalled proudly for the rest of her life. After the war, Mary fell in love and married Paul F. Perkins, a WWII Naval officer, in 1946, and in 1948 they settled in Hamilton, Mass., where they raised three children and lived for 62 years.
In 1971, Mary and Paul built a summer cabin in Round Pond, reconnecting Mary with her family roots. Mary’s love for her Round Pond summer home ran deep, and she made it into a gathering place for family over many years. She was a great listener, creative, loving, and always ready for a good laugh, often prompted by her quick and slightly irreverent wit. She loved welcoming her wide circle of family and friends into her home. She was actively engaged in the lives of her eight grandchildren, who loved her inexhaustible interest and compassion, as well as her playful and engaging manner.
An avid reader, Mary was a founder and co-owner for 25 years of The Bookshop in Beverly Farms, Mass. Her love of literature was key to the popularity and longevity of the bookshop, which is still going strong 60 years later. For many years, she was a dedicated volunteer in many capacities, including at the Cotting School for children with disabilities in Lexington, Mass. and the Hamilton Conservation Commission.
She loved traveling and enjoyed many visits to family in the United Kingdom, France, and the Pacific Northwest. Throughout their 70 years of marriage, Mary supported Paul’s passion for sailing, which took them on ocean voyages in far flung corners of the world.
Paul and Mary moved to the Edgewood Retirement Community in North Andover, Mass., in 2010, where Paul passed away in 2016. In 2021, at age 98, Mary moved to Damariscotta to be nearer to her family. At 100, after rebounding remarkably from two strokes and a broken hip, Mary passed her driver’s test, much to the disbelief of her children. Through these later years, she delighted in her nine great-grandchildren and was a source of inspiration and strength to many.
She was predeceased by her husband, Paul, two younger brothers, and a sister.
She is survived by her children, Paul Perkins (Nancy), Augusta Perkins Stanislaw (Joe), and Warren Perkins (Nancy); brother, Harry Pollock; sister, Carrie McCagg; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
The service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital’s Miles Campus, c/o Philanthropy Office, 35 Miles St., Damariscotta, ME 04543.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting stronghancock.com.
