“I like Ms. Haynes. She thinks like a kid.” So said a middle schooler referring to Mary Haynes who died August 4 at Cape Regency in Centerville. Mary was 77.

Mary loved teaching. She was enthusiastic about the English language and that enthusiasm was reciprocated by students who loved being in her classes. Mary had a life-long love affair with poetry and many of her students said that it was in her class that they first appreciated the power and subtlety of written and spoken English. Mary loved her husband Doug, partner with her in many adventures; she loved her boisterous extended family, and she loved reading, gardening, and cooking. She had a strong moral compass and was always champion of the underdog.

Mary was born on May 17, 1944 in Marlboro MA, the daughter of Archie Gilman Haynes and Rose (Hartley) Haynes. She was raised in Coventry, CT and graduated from Manchester High School. She first attended the University of Hartford before transferring to the University of Maryland. After graduation she taught in Annapolis before joining VISTA and working in Columbus, Ohio. When she moved to the Cape she began teaching at the then newly opened Cape Cod Tech where she taught for 15 years. During her time at Tech she taught for a year as a Fulbright exchange teacher at the King’s School, Worcester, England and used a sabbatical year to earn a Masters degree at Harvard. In 1990 she and her husband Doug Wilcock moved to Istanbul where they taught for two years at the Koc School. Overshooting Cape Cod on their return, they taught for three years at the Brearley School, a private girls’ school in Manhattan. When Mary and Doug returned to the Cape Mary taught ESL at the Hyannis campus of the community college and in Harwich. In 1997 she joined the faculty of Cape Cod Academy where she taught until her retirement.

Prior to and during her retirement Mary volunteered her services to a variety of community organizations. She served on the Brewster Housing Authority and was president of the board of the Wells Court Brewster senior housing. Mary served on the board of the Brewster Ladies Library, volunteered at the library, was president of the Nauset Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and served on the board of the Brewster Lower Road cemetery.

Mary is survived by her husband of forty-one years, Douglas Wilcock; sisters Alice MacDougall of Garden City, SC and Kathleen Magnuson of Coventry, CT; five nieces and a nephew; two aunts and an uncle; and thirty-five cousins. Mary always looked forward to spending time with them at family gatherings that typically numbered in excess of fifty people.

The family would like to extend sincere thanks to Karen Tripp-Miller, Dee Burlin, the wonderfully caring staff of Cape Regency, and the extensive network of friends who pitched in any way they could to ease the difficult final few months of her life.

A celebration of Mary’s life will take place at the Old Sea Pines Inn, Route 6A, Brewster, MA on August 25 from 2-4.

Donations in memory of Mary may be made to the Brewster Conservation Trust, 36 Red Top Rd., Brewster MA 02631; Cape Rep Theatre, 3299 Route 6A, P.O. Box 1305, Brewster, MA 02631; or Homeless Prevention Council, 14 Old Tote Rd., P.O. Box 828, Orleans, MA 02653.

Wherever she was, Mary was the glowing center… at a desk among her students, on a trail walking through pines with friends, at a meeting thrashing out the best way to reach a fair agreement. She was was the soul of kindness and tact, always able to see things through to logical conclusions and to see things through the eyes of others, to defuse potential disagreements. Mary thought and felt deeply, got the joke before the punchline and laughed or wept without hesitation. She was a loyal true friend who loved her life and her world. She’ll always be in our hearts.

Wherever she was, Mary was the glowing center… at a desk among her students, on a trail walking through pines with friends, at a meeting thrashing out the best way to reach a fair agreement. She was was the soul of kindness and tact, always able to see things through to logical conclusions and to see things through the eyes of others, to defuse potential disagreements. Mary thought and felt deeply, got the joke before the punchline and laughed or wept without hesitation. She was a loyal true friend who loved her life and her world. She’ll always be in our hearts.