Margaret Gill

Margaret Delores Cote Alexa Collins Gill died on July 2, 2024. She was 102.

Maggie was born to Albert and Marianne (Lambert) Cote in Nashua, NH on March 13, 1922. When Maggie was five, her mother died on Christmas Eve. She was sent to the local orphanage with her sister, Pauline. When Albert remarried, Maggie and Polly rejoined their family, though that reunion may have been more joyous had their stepmother been more caring. Maggie’s love

of clothing stems from this period when she was forced to wear her stepmother’s hand-me-downs. When she struck out on her own, she was a clothes collector and had a particular fondness for animal prints and sequins, together and separately. “Sparkle plenty” was her motto.

Her shoe habit was underwritten by her side-hustle. She was a promoter of Alec’s shoe clubs, an early loyalty program. (Everything old is new again. Except Maggie.)

Maggie, as she was known to most of Nashua in her heyday, was as gregarious as she was stylish, making friends at the restaurants and movie theaters she frequented, and on her world travels. Of course, being a Cote she was related to many in the area. (On her 90th birthday, her genealogist cousin noted that she was the oldest of 13 living cousins of an original 39.) She also made many friends at her jobs. She became the first woman janitor at Nashua Corporation. She was also a part-time bartender at the Polish American Club retiring at 87.

She was a joker, but couldn’t remember a punchline to save her life, so she carried a small notebook to record these along with where she went, what she ate, and with whom. She especially loved playing practical jokes on her bar patrons. If you complained your beer wasn’t cold enough, she’d heat it up for you. If you always ate the special snacks she brought to the

bar, but didn’t tip, she’d bring cat food for you. She wouldn’t stop you from eating it nor would she lie about what it was. (Always tip your bartenders and wait staff.)

She outlasted three husbands and one long term boyfriend. She married Michael Alexa in 1943. The couple had two daughters, Maureen and Michele. After Mike’s untimely death in 1960, she married Donald Collins in 1969, who hardly bears mentioning as he was abusive. She left him, setting a good example for her daughters. (She always told her granddaughters they shouldn’t

marry.) Then, after a trip to Las Vegas in 1972, she came home married to James Gill. They divorced after two decades together, mostly because they were never in the same room long enough to initiate divorce proceedings earlier. She had no interest in marrying again.

Maggie enjoyed travel, and did so with a small group of friends and also with her family. No mere tourist, she took a trip to the Soviet Union in 1985, broke her foot in Portugal in the 70s, and waited out an airport strike on Bonair while the rest of her family was in Aruba. She also spent many happy summers at Hampton Beach with her family.

Maggie also enjoyed good food, and never thought her experience of it should be limited by children. Her grandchildren were expected to attend dinners out, however, they were not allowed to order until she started her second martini (and eating too much bread was frowned upon). “Let’s take our time, and enjoy this meal” she would sing out. She had many favorite sayings including “God bless your pointed little head;” “May I say this to you about that?” (a lead in to criticism) and “I, myself, do not drink” (patently false).

Maggie had complaints–and a passive aggressive way of letting you know about them. Nevertheless, she thought of herself as lucky, even when she was confined to bed having lost her vision at the end of her life. She lived alone until she was 99. It was only days after moving to assisted living that the staff were calling her “a hoot.”

She had a long life–one that she felt went on much too long. To best celebrate her, please get dressed to the nines in a well-accessorized outfit, with fashionable shoes. Put on your makeup, or as she used to command, “put a little color on your face.” Choose a martini glass that matches your outfit and bring it to your favorite dive bar. Have a vodka martini–with olives or cocktail onions, your choice; she liked both.

Maggie is survived by her daughters Maureen Senecal (Richard) and Michele Anctil (Paul); her granddaughters Nikki Senecal (Peter Stokes), Samantha Reyes (Eric), and Stephanie Anctil; and her great-granddaughters Alexa and Mackenzie Leggett and Reagan and Kelsey Reyes, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister Pauline Theriault

and her granddaughter Renee Anctil.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please make a gift to Home Health and Hospice Care who brought Maggie comfort in her last months. (https://www.hhhc.org/how-to-help/memorial-gifts/