Jeanne Martha Maraz, of Newton, MA and formerly of Norwalk, CT, passed away peacefully on April 24, 2025 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital at the age of 82.
Born in Queens, NY on September 22, 1942, to Eugene and Christel (Johannsen) Maraz, Jeanne spent her early years in Baldwin, NY on Long Island and was a graduate of Baldwin High School.
Jeanne would then further her education, attaining her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Muhlenberg College and her master’s from the University of Rhode Island. During this time she would teach an experimental New York State High School American History Program that would become a model for many schools.
Jeanne would then forge her way into the marketing and advertising industry making VP at J. Walter Thompson in 1976 and managing diverse accounts such as Listerine, G.E, Bristol-Meyers, Sports Illustrated and Eastman-Kodak. It was there she met her husband and friend Tom Hayes; they would be married for 41 years.
Jeanne truly loved travel and wildlife and was always off on an adventure: Canoeing and camping along the Zambezi river, white-water rafting the Colorado, backpacking in Denali National Park, swimming amongst the dolphins in Mexico, and skiing in New Zealand among so many others.
Jeanne was kind, thoughtful and could always make you smile with her quick wit. Words cannot express how much she will be missed, but her generosity of spirit will live on in our hearts.
Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband Tom Hayes and son Oliver Thomas Hayes IV.
She is survived by her grandson Oliver Thomas Hayes, V; her son Timothy Turner Hayes with Danielle Nicholas in Wilmington, MA; her brother John Maraz in Baldwin, NY; and brother-in-law Stephen T. Hayes from Washington, DC.
Jeanne will be laid to rest alongside her husband in a private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.