Eleanor J. (Menice) Gay, 81, the retired director of public relations and development at Morton Hospital and Medical Center, died Saturday, June 5, 2010, at Morton Hospital from complications following heart surgery in Boston in March. She was the wife of Edgar A. Ted Gay, retired editor of the Taunton Daily Gazette. Born in Taunton, April 18, 1929, she was a daughter of the late Anthony F. and Mary Rose (Soares) Menice. She graduated from Taunton High School in 1948 and later took college courses in art and education. Mrs. Gay fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a newspaper reporter when she joined the Taunton Daily Gazette staff in 1953. She wrote about polio victims and Gold Star mothers, covered hurricanes and met John F. Kennedy when he was campaigning for U.S. Senate. More importantly, she met reporter Ted Gay when he returned from service in the Korean War. They were married Oct. 11, 1958. Mrs. Gay gave up her newspaper career to become an at-home mother in 1959, but she never stopped writing. She penned a freelance column, Open Line, for the Gazette, doing interviews by telephone from home in between caring for her children. In 1971, she became editor of The Silver Lining, the magazine of the Reed & Barton silver company, again doing most of her work from home while her children were young. In April 1979, Mrs. Gay accepted a position as director of public relations and development at Morton Hospital. She shepherded the hospital through triumphs and tragedies, bolstering employee morale by creating the wildly popular Morton Hospital All-Star Revue, an annual variety show that showcased the talents of hospital employees and benefited its building fund. Especially memorable were the Morton Hospital Rockettes, featuring Dr. Ted Thayer, dancing to the rousing strains of New York, New York. Following her retirement in April 1992, Mrs. Gay remained an active member of the Morton Hospital Auxiliary and the Morton Hospital Retirees Association. Among her many honors, she was one of the first women inducted into the Taunton Rotary Club in 1989. In 1990, Mrs. Gay and her husband joined a delegation from Taunton journeying to Taunton, England. With a lifelong interest in World War II, she was thrilled to visit the site of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. Her hospital work allowed her to travel to Chicago and San Francisco. A history buff, she loved exploring Washington, D.C., with her husband. She cherished family vacations in Wolfeboro, N.H. Last year, Mrs. Gay helped the citizens of Taunton, England, restore their Good Fairy statue to prominence by reminding them that it had been donated by school children in Taunton here, as a gesture of friendship during the citys tercentenary celebration in 1939. She participated in the fund-raising activities as a 10-year-old. She remained active in civic and charitable causes until the day of her heart surgery. She was an avid reader of all newspapers, an artist, a perfectionist, a lover of fashion, a commentator on the news of the day and a supporter of the arts, especially locally. Mrs. Gay gave generously of her time and counsel, made an impeccable appearance and was a dear and cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Vicki-Ann Downing of North Dighton, her husband Neil and their children, James, Andrew and Caitlin Downing; and a son, Ted Gay III of Taunton, his wife Marsha and their children, Kim Chalifoux, Kellie Dorsey and Chad Cambra, and their granddaughters, MacKenzie Perkins, Emily and Kiley Dorsey and Madison and Meghan Chalifoux. She also leaves two sisters, Rosemary Parker and Deborah Menice, both of Taunton; a brother, Leonard F. Menice of Madison, N.H., and Vincentown, N.J.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was the sister of Robert A. Menice, who died in 2004. Her funeral will be held from the Silva Funeral Home, 80 Broadway, Taunton, Wednesday, June 9, at 9 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at St. Anthony Church, Taunton, 10 a.m. Burial will be at St. Francis Cemetery, Taunton. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Calling hours will be held at the funeral home Tuesday, June 8, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. For those wishing, donations may be made in her memory to the Morton Hospital and Medical Center Philanthropy Department, 88 Washington St., Taunton, MA 02780. To sign an online condolence book, visit www.silvafuneralhome.com.


Published in The Enterprise on June 8, 2010