MARBLEHEAD- Constance Lee (Hawkins) Arena, a longtime resident of Marblehead, passed away on July 26, 2021, at the age of 90. For the last five years of her life she had been living at Bertram House in Swampscott.
Constance was born in 1931 to Eunice Davol Hawkins and Lee Hawkins of Tiverton, Rhode Island. Constance attended Durfee High School in Fall River, MA. and got her BA from Vassar College. She earned a graduate degree in English literature at Columbia University in New York City. She worked as a high school English teacher at the Madeira School in Virginia and as an editor of English textbooks.
Constance was happily married to the late Dr. Joseph F. Arena and is survived by two loving children, Susan L. Arena and Nicholas J. Arena, her son-in-law, Jonathan L. Blaugrund, and two grandchildren, Joseph L. Blaugrund and Birdie G. Blaugrund. She had one sister, Joyce Wagner, now deceased.
Throughout her life, Constance found joy spending time with her family and being in nature. She loved sailing, swimming, tennis, skiing, and rising early to greet the birds. She was a lifetime learner and was constantly reading a wide variety of books, but had a particular passion for literature and poetry. She appreciated handmade and idiosyncratic objects such as antiques, art, and textiles, and was a constant collector of colored sea glass and textured beach stones that could be found throughout her beloved wooden home. Constance loved animals, particularly her miniature long-haired dachshund Lola, who was her trusted companion of many years.
The burial service will take place at Pleasant View Cemetery in Tiverton, Rhode Island, on Saturday July 31st at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer’s Association at http://www.act.alz.org/. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.eustisandcornellfuneralhome.com for the Arena family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18