Margaret Eleanor Sanford

SANFORD, MARGARET ELEANOR (MERRIFIELD), 87, of Warwick passed away on Thursday, November 20. She was the loving wife for fifty-two years of the late Thomas W. Sanford who died in 2000.

She was born in Arlington, MA and lived in various locations in Massachusetts before moving to Providence in the late 1920s. She was a resident of Warwick for the last 48 years. Margaret was the daughter of the late Everett E. and Margaret A. (Keane) Merrifield and the twin of the late Everett B. Merrifield Jr. and his late wife Mary of West Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

She is survived by her children: Donna E. Trainor and her husband Thomas of Grafton, MA; Thomas W. Sanford, Jr. and his wife Louise of Warwick, RI; Nancy M. Lucivero and her husband Thomas of Lincoln, RI; and Richard B. Sanford and his wife Deborah, of Glocester, RI. Margaret was the grandmother of 9 grandchildren; Ryan, Scott, Amy and Susan Trainor; Christopher and Julie Sanford; and David, Laura and Cara Lucivero. She also leaves behind her devoted cat, Bentley.

She graduated from Hope High School in Providence in 1940 and the Edgewood Secretarial School the following year. She worked at the Industrial National Bank and later for the Aetna Insurance Company, both of which were located in the Industrial Bank Building in Providence. It was there that she met her future husband who also worked in the building.

Over the years, Margaret volunteered countless hours with the Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, PTA, Head Start and Scalabrini Villa. She was an associate member of the 1918 Club and was a member of the Hyannis Yacht Club. She enjoyed vacationing on cruise ships, dining out, and spending time with her many friends and family.

Her funeral will be Monday at 9 a.m. from The Urquhart-Murphy Funeral Home at 800 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, RI. A Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. at St. Catherines Roman Catholic Church, 3250 Post Road, Warwick, RI where she was a parishioner since 1960. Interment will be in Quidnesset Memorial Cemetery, North Kingstown, RI. Calling hours at the funeral home are Sunday from 3-6 p.m. Donations may be made to the Warwick Animal Shelter, 250 Arthur Devine Blvd., Warwick, RI 02886, from where Bentley was adopted. wwww.murphyfuneralhomes.org