Rose Mary M. Hayden

Rose Mary was born in the Detroit neighborhood of Highland Park, Michigan on February 10th, 1931 to Michael Joseph McLaughlin and Marie Emma Caumartin. As a child, she loved playing piano and singing, books, movies, animals, scouting, and an extended family of many cousins. A top student at St. Benedict’s Grade School and High School (graduated Salutatorian), Rose Mary received a scholarship to Nazareth College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Deciding that her calling was a career in nursing, she left Nazareth after her first year to begin training at Providence Hospital. Rose Mary received her Registered Nursing (R.N.) in March of 1952. In June of 1952, she married her high school sweetheart, William Kamman Hayden III (Kam) who had just graduated from the University of Notre Dame. When Kam was commissioned as an officer in the US Marine Corps, he and Rose Mary began the travel and relocation common to military families. While raising four children, she moved coast to coast across the country and provided nurturing and stability for the family even when her husband was deployed overseas. An adventurous and capable woman, Rose Mary made sure her children explored natural beauty and culture no matter where they were stationed. She participated in several on base and parish charity activities, including the base Navy Relief Fund. As was generally true of Navy and Marine wives; Rose Mary was a strong support for other military wives.

At different times in her life, Rose Mary practiced nursing and also worked as a benefits administrator in the Human Resources department for the Diocese of Arlington. Throughout her life, she was a passionate volunteer, generously devoting countless hours as needed to her children’s schools and Catholic Parishes. Parishioners at St. James Parish of Falls Church, VA will remember her as a member of the choir, an extraordinary minister, driver for Meals on Wheels, and a counselor at a Woman's Choice. She sought out those in need and found ways she could help, in particular helping non-English speakers practice their reading and pronunciation, but also in any way she could lend a hand.

Rose Mary was a life-long learner, making time for swimming, Spanish, Bible, or other classes in a busy schedule. Her love of live music took her to see everything from the performances of her children and grandchildren to the Virginia Military band, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the Kennedy Center, Constitution Hall, Peking Opera in Beijing, mariachi bands in Mexico. She travelled in the US, Europe, and Asia extensively.

The family remembers Rose Mary as a loving and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, and cousin who put incredible energy into making family and friends feel included and loved. A devout Catholic, Rose Mary worked hard to put her faith into practice on a daily basis and lived a life of service. Friends and family will miss her enthusiasm, her strength of character, her kindness, her intelligence, her warmth, her humor, and her sense of adventure.

She is predeceased by husband Kam Hayden, sisters-in-law Mary Sauve and Josephine Mendoza, and brother-in-law Michael Hayden

She is survived by children Michael Hayden, Patricia Moore, Margaret Dale, Andrew Hayden, grandchildren Melissa Leisen, Jeremy Hayden, Benjamin Hayden, Vincent Hayden, Zachary Hayden, Alexander Hayden, Maxwell Hayden, Timothy Dale, Cecilia Dale, great-grandchild Christina Leisen, and sisters-in-law Virginia Johnson and Roslyn Gill.

MEMORIAL

Rose Mary’s funeral services will be held at Saint Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, in Falls Church VA at 10:30 am on May 27th, 2019.