Rosemary Virginia Messina Hayes
Born in Watertown, N.Y., on Feb. 19, 1925, Rosemary Virginia Messina Hayes, daughter of Peter and Laura DeCarlo Messina, wife of the late Douglas Paul Hayes, passed away on Dec. 27, 2021, in Weymouth, Mass.
Rosemary was married on Nov. 16, 1946, to Douglas Paul Hayes in Wellsville, N.Y., and made her home at Vine Cliff Farms, Route 5, Brocton, N.Y., for 60 years before moving to Weymouth.
The first in her family to go to college, Rosemary was an x-ray technician trained at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
Rosemary was a member of the Dunkirk Garden Club for many years and enjoyed flower arranging, her yard, the historic stone barn she decorated with flower boxes, baking muffins for anyone who stopped by, and her rose garden. She was a consummate hostess and enjoyed cooking for and feeding friends and family, alway using the ‘good’ china daily.
Upon the death of her husband, Doug, in 1990, Rosemary assumed the tending of the Concord grapes, and the association with Welch’s.
She was a member of the board of the Chautauqua County Girl Scouts for several decades, the Erie County Botanical Garden and the Eighth District Federated Garden Clubs of NY. She was a member of Saint Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Brocton for many years, and a member of their choir
She was very proud of her time with the Girl Scouts and her and Douglas’ role in procuring the 900 acre property that would become Camp Timbercrest in Randolph, N.Y.
She also raised over $100,000 for CARE projects in Africa, through the 8th District Federated Garden Clubs of NY State, and was named Grape Grower of the Year at the annual Festival of Grapes in Silver Creek.
Rosemary was preceded by her husband, Douglas; a granddaughter, Alison Marie Hayes; and her nine siblings.
She is survived by her children: Beverly Burton of Brocton, Brenda Hayes of Philadelphia, Paula Certa of Hingham, Mass., Douglas C. Hayes of Hull, Mass., and Laura Hayes of Gordon, Neb.; eight grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
The family will announce a celebration of life in the summer of 2022.