Mildred Heath

NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — Mildred J. "Middy" Heath, Conway's oldest resident, passed away Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, at the age of 103.

Born Sept. 15, 1909 in Medfield, Mass., the daughter of Forrest and Grace Gibbs Hill, Mildred was nicknamed “Middy” at an early age in life. Her mother passed away when she was but two years of age, so at that time the family came home to South Chatham, N.H. to live in the Hill family homestead.

She attended grade school in South Chatham and then entered Fryeburg Academy, graduating in the class of 1926. After the Academy, she went on to Portland, Maine and graduated from the Portland Business School. While living in Portland she met and married Wallace Francis. Three children were born from this union. She later returned to Fryeburg, Maine and met and married Clayton N. Heath. They settled in the Heath homestead in East Conway, N.H. to raise their family. In l950 Middy entered the work force, working as a bookkeeper in the Heel Mill in Conway until it closed. Not ready to retire, she went across the driveway and continued to work as a bookkeeper for the Conway Service Center. After retirement Middy and Clayton wintered in Mt. Dora, Fla. for many years.

Middy was active in the Mt. View Grange in E. Conway, the Chatham and Fryeburg Historical Societies, and the Mt. Dora Shuffleboard Club in Florida. She loved to travel, play cards, see people and, most of all, dance. Anyone who knew Middy, knew it was a joy to stop in to sit on her porch for a visit at 4 p.m. any day of the week. Middy brought her love for shuffleboard to the Fryeburg Fair and always looked forward to tossing the first fry pan at the Annual Skillet Toss. She stayed in her little house on the corner in East Conway until Dec. of 2008, at which time she entered the Mineral Springs home in North Conway. In Oct. of 2009 Middy was the recipient of the Boston Post Cane as the Town of Conway’s oldest resident.

She is survived by three children, Donald Francis and his wife Dorothy of Greenvillle, N.C.; Dolores Dow and her husband Neal of Standish, Maine; and Judy McGinty and her husband Robert of Conway, N.H.; 14 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 11 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband Clayton; daughter Beverly Walker of Denmark, Maine; stepson, Clayton Heath Jr.; and brothers, Fred, Frank and Arthur Hill.

Visiting hours were held at the Wood Funeral Home on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 from 6–8 p.m. Funeral Services will be held at The Fryeburg New Church on Thursday, Feb. 14th at 11 a.m., with a luncheon following at the East Conway Community Hall.

Middy loved her neighborhood in East Conway and worked on many community suppers at the Grange Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family would love to see donations made to the East Conway Community Hall in her memory. Donations may be mailed to East Conway Community Hall, c/o Karen Gilman, 12 Green Hill Road, East Conway, NH 03813.