Frances MacArthur

08/10/2002

Frances A. MacArthur, 76, of 362 South Main Road died Saturday afternoon at home. Born in Chelsea on Nov. 14, 1925, daughter of Charles G. and Mabel Frances Butt Bearce, she attended schools in Chelsea and Melrose. She also attended Boston State University and was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Harbor Point, Boston. She had been a longtime resident of Brookline. She and her husband, James, moved to Otis in 1987 and became proprietors of Otis Country Fare Bookshop. She also sold antique, secondhand, rare and out-of-print books in several Internet consortiums around the world. Before that she worked as an accountant in the Boston area for many years. Mrs. MacArthur was a direct descendant of Pilgrim Elder William Brewster and a 10th-generation descendant of Austin Bearce, first settler of Barnstable. Active in the Brookline Democratic Town Committee, she was also interested in history, civil rights, genealogy and reading. She volunteered in many organizations, including the Berkshire Literacy Network, and was a musician and a vocalist. She and her husband, James W. MacArthur, celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary July 25. Besides her husband, she leaves two sons, Aaron MacArthur of Otis and Demetrius MacArthur of Salem; two daughters, Melissa MacArthur of Dorchester and Patricia MacArthur of Lenox Dale; a sister, Charlene Bearce Lambert of North Eastham; a brother, Charles G. Bearce of Greenfield Center, N.Y., and four grandchildren. Another son, Geoffrey Morss Wildman, died in 1972. A memorial service will be held at a time and place to be announced. Those who wish may make memorial donations to HospiceCare in the Berkshires in care of ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240.

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