ADAMS, Mass. —  

Mrs. Marilyn J. (Haley) Bourdon, 90, of Adams, died on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at the North Adams Regional Hospital.

was born in North Adams on August 23, 1935, a daughter of the late Arthur and Mary (Dydowicz) Haley. She attended schools in North Adams, MA and High School in Brewster, NY, graduating from Brewster High School.

Marilyn began her career as a secretary at Spraque Electric in North Adams, MA. After her children reached school age, she returned to work as a bookkeeper for the former Adams Rest Home. During this time, she also worked part-time as the Office Manager and bookkeeper for her husband’s company, Bourdon’s Decorators, eventually transitioning to full-time work with the company until their retirement in 2005 following the death of their son.

On the day of Marilyn’s passing, she was actively running errands and keeping appointments. Although she occasionally relied on transportation, often, she could be found driving herself and passengers around, shopping and to activities. She enjoyed socializing and visiting her friends. She remained active and was able to live independently in the family home, as were always her wishes. We were all very thankful for a special neighborhood family that she became friends with, as they would look in on her and help her out around the house whenever needed and always making sure her driveway was shoveled. She loved cooking and baking; she was always eager to share these items with them. Even more, their visits and chats brightened her days!

She lovingly cared for her husband, Rene’, at the family home until his passing. She took great pleasure in preparing his favorite meals and occasionally heading to Pedrin’s or the Boston Seafood Restaurant for dinner. They enjoyed sitting on the front porch and marveling at how much the tree in the yard had grown since they moved in. They enjoyed watching their favorite sports teams together. Although she never gained an interest in football, she was an avid fan of the Red Sox and the Celtics. It was common knowledge not to call her during a game unless you were calling for a play by play of the action. This past season she was excited to have attended a Red Sox vs. Yankees game at Fenway with her daughter.

Marilyn and Rene’ were great dancing partners, they both loved to dance the Jitterbug. They enjoyed bowling and were members of individual and partner leagues at Mt. Greylock Bowl. The family looked forward to summer vacations with the highlight being the yearly camping trip to Cape Cod. There was much excitement as Marilyn always planned the trips to coincide with the same time frame a family we had met our first year on the Cape would be there. Days were spent enjoying the beach. Mom would make a huge pot of clam chowder with the clams Dad dug and at night with the children put to bed, the adults would all enjoy fondu, games of cribbage and a glass of wine. Upon returning from the Cape, the pop-up camper, and eventually trailer, would be parked at Historic Valley Park where the family enjoyed the rest of the summer. There were other vacations, Nova Scotia, Colorado, Florida, Niagara Falls and more, but nothing compared to the Berkshires or the Cape!

Marilyn was a wonderful wife and mother as she always found time to participate in activities with the family. When her children and grandchildren were younger, she enjoyed watching them play sports, basketball, baseball, football, cheerleading and her daughters Lassie League were favorites. Hobbies and activities were many, there was always a puzzle in process; knitting and crocheting, so many baby sweaters and Afghans were made for loved ones, she entered many of these items in the Adams Agricultural Fair and was awarded many First Place Ribbons; she started Moments & Memories, decorating wedding invitations with dried flowers for friends and family; she was an avid reader of novels, she could never have enough books; cooking and baking, how she loved to try a new recipe and built her own personal library of cookbooks; fishing the Deerfield River with her son Stuart had brought her so much pleasure, even though it was her that cleaned all the fish, and Stuart caught a lot; Bingo in Clarksburg, at the Mountain Club and at the Elks with friends; Gardening; dinner or a glass of wine at AJ’s or the Pine Brook Pub; Antiquing; Genealogy was a favorite, she compiled so much information on the family tree; caring for and having restored relatives grave markers; she loved animals and had many family pets, she loved them all and missed each one dearly, a family joke was our memories of her calling for Stuart’s dog from the front porch, “Ganja!!”, “Time to come home!”, not knowing what the dog’s name, Ganja, meant; she loved to play Dominoes with the folks at the Council on Aging and passed the fun of this game on to her children and grandchildren, cribbage was also a family favorite; and of course, volunteering!

Marilyn was a volunteer at heart and especially loved volunteering for organizations that ran programs for the youth in the community. She was a 4H leader for the Swinging Stitchers when her daughters were young; she organized and ran the Children’s Chinese Auction at Notre Dame Church for 18 years with the help of her husband and children preparing and looking forward to it all year long; she volunteered for the Adams Youth Center, helping in any way she could, including teaching knitting, reading and playing games. Volunteering with her children and for the youth was so rewarding for her and gave her so much pleasure. She was Marigold the Clown with her “dog” Weeds along with her daughter who was Lollipop. They entertained at birthday parties and grand openings for local businesses.

While running the family business, Marilyn was a member of the Adams Chamber of Commerce and took on the role of Membership Director. She believed in the organization, loved the town and worked hard to get more of the local businesses to join the Chamber, something she was very successful at.

Her husband, Rene’ E. Bourdon, whom she married on July 6, 1957, died on January 28, 2023. At the time of Rene’s death, they had been married 65 years.

She is survived by her daughters, Donna Bourdon of Barnstable, MA, Brenda Nistico of Southington, CT and Jacalyn Bullett (Charles) of Stamford, VT; two grandchildren, Ryan and Nicolle Nistico and by many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her son Stuart Bourdon, her grandson, John Arigoni, Jr. by her brother Ernest Haley and by her three sisters, Doris Brown, Vera Morris and Phyllis Matrigali.

Calling hours at the PACIOREK FUNERAL HOME, 13 Hoosac St., Adams, are Friday, January 16th from 4:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M.

Services and burial will be private for the family in the spring.

The family requests the omission of flowers and suggests memorial donations may be made to the Alert Hose Company, 3 Columbia St., Adams, MA 01220.

To leave a message of condolence, or for directions, please go online to www.paciorekfuneral.com.