Marcia May (Haley) Templeton

June 5, 1942 - September 17, 2026

Born on June 5, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts, Marcia was the daughter of Norman Dwight Haley and Edith May Blanchard (Franzman) Haley. An only child, she spent her early years in Arlington, Massachusetts, before moving with her family to Virginia when her father was transferred there for his work as an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency.

During her formative years, Marcia attended high school in Virginia before continuing her education at Boston University and later George Washington University. With both of her parents working in government, Marcia developed an early interest in public service and, after graduating from college, followed in their footsteps.

During the Kennedy administration, Marcia began her career in Washington, D.C., working for a U.S. security agency. Her intelligence work and dedication soon earned recognition, leading to an opportunity to take on an exciting new assignment overseas. She was asked to relocate to London to work at the U.S. Embassy, it was there that fate brought her together with Gordon, the man who would become the love of her life and her husband of nearly 60 years. Marcia and Gordon eventually made their way from London to Cape Cod, where they settled in Orleans on a beloved family property. There, they built a life together and raised their daughter Carrie.

Marcia began her career on Cape Cod as the school secretary at Eastham Elementary School before joining Nauset Public Schools in Human Resources, where she worked until her retirement in the 1990s. Marcia had a lifelong love of tennis. She enjoyed playing the game herself and could often be found watching tennis as well as being talented in the kitchen.

Family was at the heart of Marcia’s life. She cherished the time she spent with her family and friends, and especially adored her grandchildren, Haley and Seamus. She took great joy in creating special experiences and memories with them, always finding something fun and enriching to do, from classes at Snow Library and golf lessons to visits to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. She was happiest when she was making memories with the people she loved.

Marcia will be remembered most for her kind and generous heart. She was selfless, compassionate, and never judgmental. She had a wonderful, sometimes delightfully dark sense of humor that could catch you by surprise and make you laugh when you least expected it. She gave so much of herself to her family and those she loved, and her warmth, kindness, humor, and unconditional love will be deeply missed and forever cherished.

A joint service will be held at a later date for Marcia and her beloved husband, Gordon, with burial at Orleans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Marcia’s memory to the Parkinson’s Foundation.