Muriel Townes

PITTSFIELD --Muriel Townes, 81, of Pittsfield died Sunday at Berkshire Medical Center.

Born in Norfolk, Va., on April 14, 1926, daughter of John and Nellie Acree Pearce, she graduated from schools there and attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Primarily a homemaker, Mrs. Townes worked at the former Lemon Tree in Lenox.

She was a member of St. Stephen's Church and, in Lenox, of Trinity Church. She was active in many organizations and volunteer efforts, including the Navy and Junior leagues; the Berkshire Garden, Bluestocking and Stanley clubs; the Country Club of Pittsfield; the Cub Scouts; and public school organizations. She enjoyed gardening and flower arranging, cooking, sewing, politics, doll collecting, reading, genealogy and history.

She and her husband, Peyton Giles Townes Sr., an executive with General Electric Co., were married in 1946. He died in 1985. After living in Scranton, Pa., and Schenectady, N.Y., they moved to Pittsfield in 1954.

She leaves four sons, Peyton G. Townes Jr. of Indianapolis, John Townes of Pittsfield, Alan Townes of Seattle and Bruce Townes of Park City, Utah; a sister, Marilyn P. White of Norfolk; and four grandchildren.

FUNERAL NOTICE -- Muriel Townes, who died Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007, will be remembered by her family and her many friends as a caring woman with a lively personality, a sense of humor, strong opinions and determination, and for her courage in the face of physical challenges in her latter years. An informal memorial reception and celebration of her life for friends and other well-wishers will be held Oct. 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Parish Hall at Trinity Church on Walker Street in Lenox. Guests may arrive and leave at their convenience during those hours. Mrs. Townes will be interred at a later date next to her husband in a family burial plot in Louisa County, Va., with a funeral there. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested in her name to Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association, c/o 165 Tor Court, Pittsfield, MA 01201. She also leaves her daughters-in-law, Dawn Cornell Townes and Susie Kappes Townes; her grandchildren, Jesse and Darcy Townes of Indianapolis, and Anna and Halle Townes of Seattle; and numerous cousins.