Marileeds Heard Chamberlain

Marileeds Heard Chamberlain, Boston’s China Trade Descendant, 103, died June 21, 2019 at Sherrill House in Jamaica Plain. Born in Ipswich on August 6, 1915, in the middle of World War I (The Great War), Marileeds (“Heardie”) moved to France at age four and spent her primary school years studying in convents in Paris and Geneva, respectively, along with her now-deceased brother John Heard and sister Grace Heard (Haffner). She returned to her family’s native Ipswich as a preteen, where she attended local schools. She spent her high school years at the all-girls St. Catherine’s School in Richmond Virginia.

Marileeds was a great-grand niece of Augustine Heard of Ipswich, renowned for his involvement in Boston’s China Trade during the mid-nineteenth century and for his patronage of the Town of Ipswich, where he used his wealth to build the town’s library. She was the youngest daughter of John and Grace (Clifford) Heard. 

Known for her vibrant personality, love of entertaining and dedicated work ethic, Marileeds owned and managed The Harbor Shop in Manchester-by-the-Sea from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. She relished her trips to New York City’s Seventh Avenue, where she purchased an inventory of clothes so fashionable that women living on the North Shore of Boston could buy high-fashion outfits and ensembles without having to go to Boston’s Newbury Street.

She loved alpine skiing, competitive bridge, fashion, entertaining, needlepoint and interacting with people. She also loved dogs and was never without one at her feet. Her boundless energy, positive attitude and love of learning probably contributed to her long life.

 She was married for twenty-seven years to renowned thoracic surgeon John Maxwell Chamberlain, M.D., who died suddenly in 1968 in a car crash. She has three surviving children: John (“Jock”) Heard Chamberlain of Yotala, Bolivia; Marileeds (“Leeds”) Chamberlain of Seattle, Washington; and Brooke Heard Chamberlain Cook of Brookline. She is also survived by four nieces: Cordis Heard of Chicago, Illinois and Lise Heard Smidt of Florida, to whom she was their “Aunt Booty”; Mary Rutledge Haffner Lee of Brookline, and Hillary Haffner Kaufman of Bellevue, Washington, to whom she was their “Tante Marie.” She is the grandmother of eight grandchildren: John Maxwell (“Max”) Chamberlain and Catherine Alexandra (“Alex”) Chamberlain (Billet) of Columbus, Ohio and Cristina Chamberlain of Yotala, Bolivia; Pia Francisca Jen-ai DeCano and Policarpio (“Polo”) Augustine DeCano of Seattle, Washington; Sarah Adams Pope DaRosa (now deceased) of Brookline; and J. Ransom Cook and William Cummings Cook, both of Jamaica Plain. She has seven great-grandchildren.

Marileeds will have a private graveside service in Ipswich on July 27, 2019, followed by a reception for family and friends at noon at the Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to the Ipswich Public Library Children’s Section at ‪25 North Main Street, Ipswich, MA 01938 www.ipswichlibrary.org/trustees/donate, or to the Northeast Animal Shelter, ‪347 Highland Avenue, Salem MA 01970 www.northeastanimalshelter.org/donations/general/ To send a condolence to her family please visit www.whittier-porter.com.