LT. GRACE P. HAYES US Navy (Retired)

 
GRACE P. HAYES  LT. US Navy (Retired)  
On October 17, 2016, retired US Navy Lieutenant Grace P. Hayes, of Bethesda, MD and Provincetown, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully. She is the widow of Robert C. Hayes who passed away in 1996. Mother of Benjamin Hayes, and a daughter, Martha, who passed away in 2000. Also survived by three grandchildren, Darcy and Connor Hayes, and Noah Lewis. Grace was born in Ware, Massachusetts in 1919. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1940 and recieved a Masters from Columbia University in New York. When the military began to accept women, Grace was accepted to officer candidate school. She served as an officer on active duty during World War II. After the war, she was assigned to the Pentagon's Office of Military History where she was the only woman officer. She was given access to highly classified documents and to many of the commanders of military actions during the war. During her service she received many honors including a commendation from the Secretary of the Navy. She alone wrote, the History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Pacific theatre. Declassified in 1971, it became one of nine books on military history that she either wrote or co-wrote during her career as a military historian and researcher. In retirement she spent her summers in Provincetown, MA, a place that she loved and where she will be interred this summer. "Amazing Grace" as she was commonly referred to, was a friend to all and judged no one. She is dearly missed by so many. A celebration of her life will be held at River Road Unitarian Universalist Church on November, 5, 2016, from 1100 hrs to 1300 hrs. (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Martha Hayes '75 Memorial Fund, through the Office of Resources, Wellesley College, 106 Central Avenue, Wellesley, MA, 02481.